You don't want to make a Road surface; you want a base. 

I’m talking about things like:•site conditions and drainage•access, utilities, and neighborhood context •deferred maintenance that may not appear in photos•unique quirks that can affect rehab risk or resaleThe local market here has a lot of homes in the low‑to‑mid $200k range, and properties move at a pretty steady pace, so early insight can make a real difference in decisions.My goal isn’t to replace inspections or pretend I’m an expert in every discipline.

Drainage.

You’ve bought and paid off real assets, run a business with real P&Ls, and actually understand buildings beyond the surface stuff.

Rock or someplace with old hard surface even better.  30 and 40 foot spots. 

The space needs more textiles with all the hard shiney wood surfaces. 

You think you are done, then another comment comes in.Title items can surface that have to be cleared before anyone wires money.

Give the tenant written notice and an opportunity to cure if you want to be conservative.For LVP:Light surface scratching is wear.Gouges, deep scratches, swelling from moisture, or plank damage is damage.For walls:Minor nail holes and light scuffs are wear.Large holes, heavy marking, or patchwork is damage.Make deductions based on actual invoices, not estimates.

What surprised me wasn’t the rankings themselves, but how often the exercise surfaced where my gut feeling disagreed with the data — and forced me to explain why.At least for me, that’s been more valuable than chasing a single “top market” list.I’m curious how others here think about this:Do you start with a preferred strategy and narrow markets from there?

The drainage wasn’t accounted for correctly — parts of the roof were overflowing, and water wasn’t being directed properly into the downspouts.I also discovered that the roof, which was relatively young, had started leaking.