Every Savvy Investor SHOULD know this - But, I Don't!

[Account Closed]

I can admit it, I am still a newbie and proud of it. 

Real estate investing is by far the most fascinating thing I have ever been able to do in my life. Yet I feel as though If I could find the appreciable gains before a market emerges, that would take my real estate investing which It is my passion to the next level. 

OK, now to to the real reason why I am posting this. I am attempting to gain insight on how to find markets before the major appreciation happens. (Doesn't everyone) I realize in David Lindahls books he speaking on Jobs, Jobs, and Jobs. How to contact the city and probe for information about how committed they are to their master plan. Yet, I feel as though with his books he tells you the concept of HOW to do something, he doesn't give you the details on actually how to do it. 

SO I am asking all you SAVVY investors who know how to read statistical data and make sense of it to lend out a helping hand to myself, and any other investor who is interested in this topic as well. 

My Main Questions - 
How do you get the statistical data? 
When you do what are the KEY FACTORS you are looking for? 
Do you call the City/County to pull information about that city? 
How do you make sense of it all? :) 
What are your experiences and lessons from investing through this method, and what results have you gotten. What are some pieces of advice for a newbie in this field? 

I know what my strengths and weaknesses are as a Investor. I am great in Networking, Marketing, Sales, negotiations, finding the deals, and well the list goes on. What I am not good at is Details. If you use the DISC profiles I am a high I & D. 

I offer my services, help, and or network to anyone who can help educate me in what I am lacking. 

I have booked a lunch with the LIED institute economics directer of real estate from UNLV later this week to pick his brain.
I also am attempting to contact someone through another referral who has an economics background in real estate from the George Mason University.   

I will post my results and what I have learned from anyone I get in contact with that can help me with this temporary issue. :)

Thanks for your time.