@Jan Halasz  Each situation must be evaluated on its own merit.

It's very common in the old parts of Milwaukee to find small commercial storefronts which also have 2-4 residential units.I found a 4-unit which I like purely on the merits of the residential units.

If most similar apartments rent at around $1000 in the same area, there's little you can do that would merit you're renting for $1400.

Should I just evaluate each on its own merits and then add up the total?

I'm not trying to sell you on this guy specifically, but his reasoning on this topic has merit.

Before spending a lot of time on any vacant property, I want to know if there id merit.

And, assuming this is a sizable market, could appeal to homebuyers that had the time and possibly cash to "make it their own".That being said, to @Mike Hanneman's point, it would probably remove the "traditional" home buyer market.I guess there are a lot of assumptions to be made for this to be a successful strategy, but in the right place and time it must have it's merits.

But this is only a generalization, and you should always consider advice or information on its own merit regardless of the source.

I agree with Antonio in the sense that online is the best option by far, but there is some merit to the placemat advertising. 

Being a contractor is similar to being a business owner – you negotiate your deals, work for yourself, have your clientele and are rewarded on your own merits.