Using solid fundamentals and buying properties with characteristics that lead to consistent and reliable returns.

I work with underground utilities.You can find a residential architect that can give you names to mechanical engineers and electrical engineer they use for their designs.And just to spread some knowledge... engineers that have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (the first state exam) are called E.I.T.

We don't have the luxury of watching California to give us a 2-3 year barometer.The good news is the Mountain West's fundamentals are very good in terms of job and population growth. 

Fundamentally is difficult to justify some of these deals and have an interest rates higher than the cap rate.

If you needed to hear what Kiyosaki says (like Brandon Turner and myself), then you know how it fundamentally changed the way you view money, real estate, and the world (Rich Dad, Poor Dad and "On the Road" with Robert Kiyosaki were fundamental for me). 

@Bjorn Ahlblad So in the end the basic fundamentals are the same and tweaking the details are what you'd need to work on to adjust.

More funds in the system, more habitable affordable properties = a fundamentally better economy.

While poor lending practices are certainly a partial contributor of the financial crisis we're seeing, I personally believe there are more fundamental issues, such as a decrease in domestic production, low liquidity among individuals, corporate greed (and personal greed), drop-off in public educational standards, etc.While the lending rules may certainly have hastened (and concentrated) the financial crisis we're seeing, I personally believe it would have happened eventually, even without lower lending standards.So, I disagree with the statement that it "could not have happened without government intervention in the lending market."

I have seen multiple threads where the source of problems with a property management company is the property manager leaving.I can't think of any other business models where the salesperson is also responsible for fulfillment--ensuring problems in service in the event of departure from the company.The staffing model where property manager A manages doors 1-100 and property manager B manages doors 101-200 is fundamentally flawed and leads to problems exactly like Marvin's.  

This Trulia economist does say what he is basing his conclusions on (price versus fundamentals such as income, income growth, household formation and rents).