If you appraise the house by yourself, what strategies and what characteristics do you look at?

It is important, though, that you really do provide accurate comps - sales (not pendings or listings) within the past 3-6 months; within 1/2 - 3/4 mile radius to subject; similar characteristics; etc.  

One of the 2 houses on the lot had some fantastic characteristics that you wouldn't have known about unless scheduling a showing.

I identified a niche where I saw others doing well who were doing the bare minimum and thought that I could take a home with the same characteristics and do it better.

If you rephrasing the podcast's advice it sounds like this: "Since the yields are declining in an area that you have probably spend a lot of time learning, analyzing, and thinking about, you shouldn't invest there, but rather chase yield and invest in areas whose characteristics are totally different, and arguably more complex."

I also make comments about neighborhood characteristics so I know if the property is in a better or lessor neighborhood. 

You might not even get two unless you fully participate and contribute each of those characteristics yourself someway and somehow.

I think it's important to evaluate some of the qualitative characteristics of the property to ensure its long term viability as an income stream (i.e. is it in a good school district, low crime, near a corporate campus, etc. etc.).

When it comes to renting, I know the characteristics I tend to look for in a property, and am curious if they are representative of the broader tenant population. 

These are people who share motivational characteristics of people ready to sell, but haven't yet done all the work they think they need to list property.