@Rashida Reid yeah those pesky realtors are always getting in the way ;PIf your content to deal with realtors, I'd suggest going to their physical office location and talking to them in person to get started.  

(Coming from the perspective of having rented homes where I was responsible for yard care) having to go out and physically buying a lawn mower, or snow blower to do something mandated in the lease is a huge turn off.  

. – The physical condition of being male or female, which is stated on a person's birth certificate."

Urban Institute Research - Errs on the policy side, but some very interesting reads and long-term trend articles.Like Wall Street Journal, but the REI focus is very institutional, and tends to have more bearing on my stock / REIT portfolio than any physical investments.

Before spending any significant time on physical due diligence, does the deal make sense from a financial standpoint?

These are physical spaces where people have to go somewhere and drop money.

Desirability - school quality/proximity to expressways or commuter trainAnd finally....what has your market supported in recent comparable sale prices within the past 6 months.  

Not only do I sometimes wonder if they're estimates for the same project, I wonder if they've even physically walked the project!

@Michael Otis Some words of caution -- the deal might be smoking hot, but 17 units and the proximity to a "sketchy" part of town are all warning signs for a first-time investor.

Is it necessary to be physically local to the county vs. out of state?