When you've nailed your locations and found the (potential) properties, dig deep into the ideas that you have - Look at long/short term rent prices in those areas (competitor analysis), try to get some numbers about tourism to see whether an AirBNB even pays off (customer analysis), make sure there are reliable management companies around, how those properties could be financed, etc.3.

Chips, dents, scrapes, and small nail holes in the walls4.

Originally posted by @Terrell Garren:You might be a redneck investor if - The strong smell of cate urine in a property for sale makes you smileA property for sale sign cause you to slam on the brakes A tenant threatens to call a lawyer and it bothers you about as much as them calling their chiropractor You can estimate $30K in repairs after a 15 minute walk around You know the comps of every neighborhood within 25 miles of where you liveYou have a contact phone number for every profession needed to buy, remodel or build a houseYou would rather walk a building site than a golf courseYou can lay flooring, hang a ceiling fan, and set a toilet without Google or YouTubeHalf of the employees at Lowes and Home Depot recognize you as a regular Your HVAC guy invites you to the company Thanksgiving lunch Bro, you nailed it.....have you been following me around....?

I think you nailed it with your assessment of what is going on.  

You could come home to having no tenant, no work done, and your place has been stripped clean of whatever wasn't, or was, nailed down. 

I think George W nailed it, that sounds exactly like the stink of a draining house trap.

You need to really nail down what you need to learn from a coach.

I have a couple contractors that could be a part of the mix, but nothing has been nailed down.

How to nail the due diligence?

I haven't been able to successfully complete a 1031 some years back because of the tight market where I am, but had a QI at the ready if I had last minute issues like flexibility if another more suitable property shows up.There's also "reverse 1031" where you identify and nail down the replacement property first, you need more capital to accomplish, but gives you a bit more flexibility when it comes to timing.