I know that I'm new to this business and I currently have the capital to freely make improvements so we'll see if this model chews me up and spits me out!

Just a few thousand more to lose...there was nothing really BIG this year, but the necessity of not biting off more than my business model can chew is very important.

My goal is making sure I get decent property for a good price but it biting off more than I can chew if there's other things from the past that come up during the process.

The Ultimate Guide to Grading Cleveland Neighborhoods should help you cover a lot of ground in regards to what exactly your looking at when you are checking out listings on Zillow or other websites.As for some more data to chew on in regards to population trends i've found City-Data.com to have a pretty decent chunk of info.Good luck to you & feel free to tag me if you have any follow up questions on this market or investing in general.

And also more details on this biggerpockets post: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/522/topics/212557-garfield-nj---12bdrm-quadplex---1st-home-purchase---biting-more-than-we-can-chew

After chewing on this for a bit I realize I do not have the funds to pay for the zoning lawyer, zoning, and demolition, so do I just get estimates for these services, and then subtract that dollar amount from my asking price?

She was furious, hyperventilating while chewing me out on the phone.

This is as good as the reviews for the 5 lb bag of sugarless gummy bears..

In fact, it's better for me and all the existing low-cost high-return investors if the big-pocket OOS investors don't try to pursue this and chew up all the inventory. 

If you are going to allow pets I would recommend a pet deposit just in case they chew your countertop, scratch through a wall or window, and etc.Respect your tenants rights and know your rights.