If you have a pattern of slow responses, as an agent, I'd be taking those deals to my clients who are ready and willing to jump immediately. 

As you talk to a couple of people, you will get a better sense and recognize the pattern to it all which is find a good trusted team on the ground (agent, loan officer, handyman, property manager). 

Weather patterns can halt construction schedules and push things out much longer than expected.

As I'm reading more and more I'm seeing a pattern of belief that we are headed toward a real estate crash.

The metal was probably 1/4 thick of the old one so that it felt like a toy; the sprayer pattern was cheaper (less jets and less pattern) and the button was worse.

On Thanksgiving his pattern shifted into even more delusional paranoia.

If you self-manage and have a pattern of tenant problems or contractor woes, chances are you won't fare much better with a property manager unless you do some work first.Relying on online reviews is never recommended, as it's been shown that the core of  satisfied AND unsatisfied clients don't bother with posting anything.

I try to conduct market analysis (migration patterns, ratio of renters, large employers) alongside housing analysis (common home types, typical challenges, etc).

If you search the tax map you can locate a map of the houses they own, you can see a pattern.

Or I should better ask is the a particular pattern you've noticed from these distressed landlords?