First, it fast-tracks your learning as an investor - you are forced to develop better time management skills, build your network of reliable contractors/ handymen, etc..Second, when you are ready to transition to a property manager, you are well equipped to evaluate and hire the right company.3.

Most think they invest in a B, but it is really below median, so a C plus or even C minus.If you want to know if your neighborhood is slipping, track the median price of that municipality/neighborhood against the median price of the metro area or State if you want to Zoom out.Here is an example: Wauwatosa (blue) has been outperforming Milwaukee County, Wisconsin and the US.

It's less about the time it takes me to conduct a transaction this way, and more about automating the process for myself and creating structure and organization for tracking purposes. 

Many other firms offer the same knowledge at a fraction of the cost because they don't have office overhead or tons of highly paid employees to float.

I would recommend anyone lending in this environment to fix and flippers or any type of investment to be careful and get a personal guaranty and make sure person has a long track record.

Using different colors was one of the biggest mistakes we ever made in the early days; tracking the colors even with a spreadsheet was a nightmare, as was keeping dozens of different touch up colors in the storehouse. 

I see 3-5 as a fad.Fractional ownership - way to much overhead for these to be profitable. think "timeshare".STR in non traditional markets - running a STR is a business and real estate, boils down to location location location - who would want to go to a conference and stay in a STR vs. the hotel where the conference is at, most businesses pay for this I do not see why.Mixed use with green - this has been going on for years- it will continue but it is also more expensive to build - which means higher costs to use.Not trying to be debbie downer, I have seen these attempted to be done in the past and they really have not been successful.I do really like the BTR model though as I continue to see that as a very good option in the future. 

Many don’t track this statistic as closely as they should which is why many lenders go under.

As important as due diligence, analysis, knowledge of the property type, track record of the syndicator, correctly predicting economic trends, and timing is, the number 1 way to avoid a devastating loss is NEVER INVEST MORE THAN 10% OF YOUR INVESTABLE ASSETS IN ANY ONE DEAL.  

Networking with local real estate groups or online forums could help you find recommendations for PM companies that have a proven track record in Birmingham