Once you narrow in on your neighborhood it's worth a trip to walk the streets and get a feel for the neighborhood.

Quiet street, close to downtown Fort Wayne.

Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions about specific streets or neighborhoods 

But from the bank side, or from a "experienced" investors eyes, what is the line to getting the label and the "street cred"(if you will) of being an experienced investor?

It has a lot of potential, in fact it looked like a crew was just about finished with a similar property across the street.

In many markets prices vary street to street, and it takes a long time to get up to speed on the nuances of an area. 

Consider the client-broker relationship a two-way street.

I own a rental Property across the street from a triplex, the triplex had a fire in one of the units and is now vacant. repairs were going on for awhile but suddenly stopped a couple of months ago.

The lot need not be on the beach, maybe a few streets back. 

It fronts directly on the sidewalk in front of the house with one basement window visible from the street.