how to recognize a "good deal."

[Randall Hoeber]

Looking for a "good deal" feels like looking for a needle in a haystack to me.  What are some quick tips or hacks for recognizing a good deal before digging deeper?

[Dustin Beam]

I use a spreadsheet. I can fill it out in less than 5 minutes using semi rough numbers (estimates on market rents, insurance, property tax, etc) , or maybe 10-15 minutes to get a better analysis.

But one reason people say to analyze X amount of properties each day is because the more you do, the easier it will be to see the property that is a good deal. If you don't know what a good deal is, you might pass it up. If you've looked at 50 duds, the deal may be apparent.