Your experience highlights the need to work STRICTLY with professionals and not Internet forms, contacts, and vendors.

I'VE DONE SO MUCH RESEARCH AND FELT SO PREPARED BUT NOW FEEL LIKE A DEER IN HIGHLIGHTS!

Notice the difference in siding and the architectural details that could be highlighted, not just the door.

For example, this post from EquityMultiple is quite thorough (though you should always recognize the platforms will highlight the positive things about their particularly fee structure while minimizing the downsides).As @Mark Robertson pointed out, whether the site offers 506(b) or 506(c) investment can make a difference as well, and it's also important whether or not the site is registered broker-dealer or not (many, like Equity Multiple, are not broker-dealers themselves, but have contractual affiliate relationships with broker-dealers to offer the actual securities). 

I like to listen to the podcast, "Real Estate News for Investors with Kathy Fettke" to keep up on what's going on with the real estate industry, in general, and Kathy frequently highlights U.S. markets that are still "emerging", even as others in the national seem to have peaked.

Do you normally highlight the negatives?

I'd recommend trying to highlight what value you add to a team.

@Joey Gorombey I would just highlight don’t just count on cashflow but also appreciation too, if the area is growing go for it with the numbers

This article highlights the analysis of a retail net lease property and showcases its benefits, Analysis of a Triple Net (NNN) Deal: Is This KFC Building a Good Investment?.

Gut instincts of seasoned investors certain are meaningful, but to determine exactly what quantifiable data is behind a gut instinct can be very hard, if not impossible (maybe one day).Also, every investor has a different set of goals, so asking one investor where to invest (and how to evaluate it), may not get you the answer YOU are looking for.If you look at the reports that Jon and I highlighted, this will give you an idea of some of the data and trends that the big companies use -- things like employment, market rent trends, number of new starts, population trends, etc.