@Tony Schmucker if it were me, it would totally depned on a ton of differing factors that you may not be measuring (some outside of investment real estate). 

Together, we can pave the way for the next generation of real estate billionaires.

I'm at a point in my life and real estate career where I need somebody. 

Now a listing agent cannot advertise the commission they will pay another agent for bringing them a buyer.

There are two requirements to claim REP status1) 750 Hours2) You spend more time on real estate than other activities such as your W-2 Job or BusinessYou want to work with a tax professional who will be able to advise you on what hours count and what hours do not count.Furthermore, the CPA may have a nice worksheet that you can use to help you document your hours.Best of luck!

Since you're open to markets beyond NYC, you might want to connect with local investor meetups or REI groups in those areas to build relationships with agents, wholesalers, and lenders who understand the nuances of each market.If you're looking to break out of analysis paralysis, maybe start by narrowing down one or two target markets and running numbers on actual deals.

Are they just rubber-stamping or do they have real criteria?

But like all things real estate, one Dollar General may be worth it all day long, while another may not even be worth being given for free.Given we are talking about the dollar store concept, any macro economic issues will apply universally.If you are talking about Dollar General, specifically, and all are corporate guaranteed, tenant quality is equal across all possible properties.So then you get into market analysis, store sales, lease terms, structure condition of property, specific location (mid-block with no left turn vs hard corner at signalized light), traffic patterns, re-tenanting ability and demand, current rent to market rent delta, etc.All deals are unique, but I would not go in with an assumption that all Dollar General's appreciate. 

Asking your agent (or other on-the-ground person) to look at the property and take pictures in your place? 

Commercial real estate is more likely to break and other changes with the new administration are likely to break things in ways that cannot be anticipated.