You start with logic.I am very serious that all these so called marketing experts know very little of true marketing.Marketing has to do with the medium you are marketing on and the audience you are trying to reach.As long as you understand these to items you are fine.Just learn the basics and then make the rest up yourself.

Going off market there is a lot of offerings that are not better than the MLS listings, there is often risk items, and they virtually always require work. 

The biggest concern they are having is over dramatically increasing costs...not so much with rate, but with items like taxes and insurance.

Here's some food for thought:Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.So, when investing in areas they don’t really know, investors should research the different property Class submarkets.

What are some things I should be taking care of first and foremost or items I shouldn’t overlook?

If you see any drugs or other illegal items, snap photos for your records.

I come close to having resources to have 0% LTV if desired but due to non-recourse I would not need to cover due to item #2.  

If you haven't already, look into cost segregation, it's a great way to save a lot on taxes for items that wear out faster than 28 years.  

This is a rather narrow set of circumstances, but it is out there.For your situation, sounds like you would just be considering items 2 and 3 for tax purposes. 

If you purchase a property, many of the costs on the closing statement are added to your basis.There may be some items that are eligible for an immediate write off such as pro-rated taxes, interest, insurance and hoa dues.