Starting with smaller deals can get you experience that can translate to commercial but commercial is a different animal.

@Curt Davis  I agree with your premise on running the numbers... if investors are buying in these markets that are well known for stable pricing IE not much if any real appreciation .." you should not expect it and it should only be a bonus "  we hear that time and again someone must have coined it and so these investor repeat it LOL... but if that's the case then building a ROI porforma and throwing in any kind of appreciation is not going to be accurate.. the only real appreciation that I have seen in the 7 markets I personally work in is on the wholesale side were you guys picked up houses for 20 to 25k before rehab.. now they are 25 to 35k.. and that generally has not translated to any benefit for the long term buy and holder.. they will always be competing against the very organized sales outfits like you guys.. so there is no way they can sell a home for more than what ever you or MI or any other turn key company is selling it for your all fishing out of the same barrel.what the turn key buyer wants to keep in mind is just like our thought process out here on the west coast were break even or even a little negative is just fine and dandy.. your tenant is paying your house off your real profit or gain is when your properties are paid for and someone else has paid for it.. to me any spendable cash flow on a rental is TOTAL gravy and over a long hold period you pump a lot of that back into the home as turnover and cap ex on rentals is far more than any proformas .So in my mind Turn key  for the WHY mid west has  that @Joel Owens is wondering about.1. simply the new starter property choice for those priced out of their own markets this is the number one driver.. 2.

you can buy below market, you can find value add plays, you can benefit from depreciation etc Real estate is so different at each local market, good advice doesnt always translate well to other markets.Look I think its a nice problem to have, but I dont think anybody here will be able to give you great customized advice or the answer to your question. 

I mean, finding an area's rent rates - does that translate to something as simply as looking at Craig's List postings to get a rough figure down, or are there other places I should look?

Lack of engagement could translate to the property manager not focusing as much in your properties.

Ideally, I have three or four scheduled, which translates to 2-3 actually showing up.We discuss qualifications and restrictions on the phone and I ask "will that be a problem"?

Some of the harder hit areas like Vegas and Phoenix have lots of investors and higher vacancy rates, which translates into more days on the market.It all boils down to competition.

Originally posted by Bryan Hancock:I'm sure her "Graduate Fellowship" makes her an expert in constitutional law too Robert.Just to be clear...it takes a lawyer to translate the constitution?

The landlord should use a PM or some other representative to collect the rent.Conversely, the owner being incapacitated should translated in to the tenants being abandoned.

The first sentence is scary......I translate it as "If they had a pulse I got a commission check!"