I put a lot of emphasis on the educating yourself on your markets - the more you know about what the property is worth, the better off you will be. 

Over the past couple of years we've seen that nearly clear, and with the current global uncertainty I wouldn't be surprised if investors who had interest in branching out to smaller, more up and coming markets, start to fall back on the larger staple gateway markets of NYC, Miami, LA.

@Max Baker I have two rather unrelated investment strategies, although emphasis shifts from time to time as markets evolve.1) These tend to be local investors only, due to greater logistical involvement (contractors, etc):a) Buy ugly houses at wholesale price to rehab and flip (mostly inner city, but not always - as I'm doing one now in one of the aging but still desirable norther suburbs).b) Alternate exit strategy is to hold for good rental cash flow.c) Or, if not ready for another rehab (or not in my preferred locations - as I'm working on one now way out of town to assign to another investor), sometimes assign the contract for a quick cash fee.2) Buy, hold, sell new/newer homes (me and/or my investor clients) in leading-edge, fast-growth emerging suburbs for best opportunity for future appreciation (over next 5-10+ years).

This is what I emphasis to my team.

We are entering a massive change in economic conditions globally.

On the podcasts, there is an emphasis on consistently making offers AND on being okay with a lower standard of living while keeping eyes on the prize - that was my justification for pushing further North, as while it would be a longer commute, the consensus I have gathered is that North Denver is the next up-and-coming area.

Been so distracted with COVID lately that I forgot about global warming! 

Additionally, Zillow and like sites place a lot of emphasis on pictures, which will allow you to compare similar properties to try discern why one property sold for more than another if all other things are equal.I hope this helps!!! 

In March, I moved out of my $1200/mo shared house in DC and into a $650/mo shared house in Gaithersburg, month-to-month (adding all of that savings to a down payment fund).My question is: given the global pandemic and uncertain economy we’re in, would you sit tight a little longer and continue to rent, and see what happens in X months before jumping into a house hack?

If that sounds like a steal — even in the middle of a global pandemic that has nearly ground travel to a halt — the infamous Viceroy L’Ermitage, 9291 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, could be yours.