If this coach is in your market and knows the key players in the market, has used various property managers and can tell you the good ones, knows the loan brokers, knows the risks of investing on this side of town versus that, knows the tenant base for your area and what they are wanting from their apartments and what they can afford, than I would say a coach (maybe not the one you are interviewing) is worth it.  

Also have an understanding of housing demand versus supply for houses and apartment rents (I wish I considered those factors when buying my first home).Also, make sure you understand debt financing and you spending time modeling out your costs. 

How much is the rent versus old rent ?

Who knows if that is true or urban ledgend.HUD (Housing and Urban Development) the people who bring you the lending industry, seem to think it's okay.It's line 503 on your closing statementClick to enlargeYou can click on my website link below and see a whole slew of Subject Tos we've done I'd be happy to answer any questions  With respect, there is a difference between having an available line on the settlement statement versus approval of any action.   

They can provide insights into which neighborhoods are up-and-coming versus those that are more established or facing challenges.

Helocs are also much harder to get on an investment property versus a COR.If you ever have any question feel free to reach out I am always happy to talk REI!

With that said, I like to have my clients run the numbers to see how much they would save buying versus renting.

If you're weighing between purchasing a primary residence and renting spare bedrooms versus buying the entire property, which is more tax write off advantageous. 

In addition, you get mortgage pay down (the portion of the mortgage that goes to equity pay down) and tax benefits. versus if you rent, you rent is not fixed and will rise.  

You're going to weigh the pro-forma versus buying government debt, private debt or heck a BDC, not necessarily against buying land.