Staying active and engaging the community is of vital importance to your success and education in RE.

But understanding that risk and balancing it with more and safer investments is vital.

Greg, I think staging is vital to getting top dollar for your renovation.

there may be relatively minor problems with the property or there could be a major damage to vital components.From the properties that I've seen there is also wide disparity on what is insured/uninsured by HUD.

Else the data aggregation won't remain current or vital.

One aspect of goal setting, that is vital in its effectiveness, is recording or verbalizing them.

Internal rates of return are vital calculations in determining to move forward or walk away from an investment opp.Cap rates are not usless, but there are just one of many calculations needed to making a decision on an investment.This line is the best:"Don't listen to all the hyperbole here about what you "can't" do or what investors "never" do....you are an individual....and it's what YOU do that matters."

From there, you can watch foreclosures, particular homes even neighborhood vitals. 2.)

Or is gaining this type of vital info a function of the strength of your personal network and just hitting the streets for the pulse of the market?

If you are seeking for "out of state investors" or "foreign national investors" this information is vital to have!