There are internal heating and cooling systems, electrical components, hot water heater, plumbing fixtures and a myriad of other issues that are hard to assess for the average home buyer.Realize that you are not going to catch every single flaw or defect on your first run through a home, although there are a few key areas that every home buyer should look at before making a decision.

My advice would be to replace with carpet, OR require them to have thick area rugs in key areas.

I am not saying rewire but if you need to add them in key areas do so before the wall work.

We are going to spend the first month of ownership cleaning the property up and addressing any key areas to minimize operating expenses throughout the lease term. 

One of the key areas that I see is the Entitlement process.Can you please point me to any good reference material which explains the entitlement process in good detail?

John you have outlined part of a marketing plan a business plan encompasses much more.Some Key areas of a Business PlanExecutive SummaryCompany DescriptionMarketingSales ForecastOperations PlanManagement & OrganizationPersonal Financial StatementsCapital RequirementsFinancial HistoryProjected Financial StatementsIt sounds like your basic market strategy will be direct mail advertising.

As far as south Jersey goes, there are few key areas a lot of the buy and hold investors focus in.

Right around Thanksgiving we bought a deal from a local wholesaler in a key area where we buy property in many cases sight unseen!

@Justin Porter, narrow your search to a few key areas and then start pursuing off-market deals.

Kitchen, floors, and bathrooms those are the key areas to focus on to improve a property’s value.