But they do leave a few gaps in what a real estate investor may want to keep an eye on--the deeper economic indicators for each area. 

You’re right – it makes sense to keep an eye on home auctions as they're another viable resource for deals on foreclosed and non–foreclosed homes.

Is the total just value of a property the market value in the appraisers eyes, and does the % of depreciation come out of that number, or has it already been accounted for?

GCs don't typically have an eye for design, they don't typically have a mindset from the investor standpoint, and they often disappoint.

Money Mustache blog for an eye-opening and different perspective on personal finance... good for anyone, but especially powerful for young people

So, keep your eyes on the road to success and look forward.

Its been a very eye opening experience to the world of real estate and the mortgage process. 

In my opinion, you don't need to mess with an LLC yet, you can always move the property into one later if you want to.Keep an eye out for small multi-family buildings. 3 or 4 units.  

People may roll their eyes at what I'm going to say right now but capitalism is alive and free to be practiced by anyone willing to pay the small entry fee. 

As a fellow NOVA resident, I've been eying the Winchester area since it's better priced than my immediate market (Fairfax county).