I have about 10000 square feet that is currently empty on a listing I'm considering purchasing. I'm brainstorming ways that I can most effectively use this empty space... The lot is zoned as R2 and currently only has ...

Regarding the one month of rent Placement Fee, this is fairly normal.

You can't shoot from the hip, you will shoot your foot off.Let's pretend you get by the first step, your asset checks out in the appraisal process. 

👀I never even drove past the place, much less set foot in it.  

It's also common to encounter retail branch employees who are  not familiar with  the entities and various ownership structures real estate investors utilize since they are normally opening personal bank accounts.

I've typically been doing the foot work.

Instantly I can tell the hottest markets from the normal and cold ones, and separately determine which one's I am priced out of due to crazy high values.I'd suggest a similar value-based approach if you have the data to calculate on to identify a few markets to start looking for deals in, but remember this is still too broad of analysis to make a go/no-go decision on the projects you find.

Held at CAPK Friendship House, the event featured local developers Max Becerra and Eric Mora, who presented plans for over 1,600 rental units in projects like Mulberry Village and Mayflower Ranch, as well as a 110,000-square-foot retail center with the area's first grocery store.Significant city support includes a 2.5-mile sewer line and plans to annex parts of the area into Bakersfield.

But electronic options don't normally work in those cases. 

Recently I started working with a college kid who is doing some wholesaling to make some money and get his foot in the RE door.He had read about house hacking with a partner, where he applies for the FHA loan and finds a partner to cover the down payment.