Network with experienced investors, choose a real estate strategy, research markets with job and population growth, learn financing options, familiarize yourself with property management, develop a long-term plan, and leverage your stock experience to evaluate markets and trends.Good luck!

Something to definitely consider evaluating more.

It's like opening a coffee shop and only targeting 30-40 year old males working in HR =) That is, unless you're opening that coffee shop next to a giant HR company where most employees are 30-40 year old males.

They will evaluate the property, eventual costs with repairs, etc - depending on the service you asks and their fees are about 250 EUR per report.

I suspect you spoke to bank employees who weren’t in their commercial lending division and didn’t understand your borrowing request. 

If you don't know how to evaluate whether or not it is a viable investment, why would you make an offer?

Evaluate forming an LLC to protect both parties and outline everything in an operating agreement.

I'm not sure if anyone knows anyone in Roanoke that would be willing to be the 2nd witness (we have one as he is visiting family) the bank and UPS said they cant use their employees to witness it. 

Evaluating deals on this site will help you understand expenses, income, and financial statement.

Real estate's "gross rent multiplier" is Wall Street's "sales to revenue",  "cap rate" is roughly "P/E ratio".When evaluating markets and investments I tend to start with GRM (or lazily the 1% rule), then attempt to return a cap rate based on assumptions about costs, then I work my way to multiple years of projections (assumptions about inflation, amortization, tax benefits, etc), and if I am partnering with one of my smart friends I have to pull up an IRR (internal rate of return).I also look at regional employment levels, median income to rent ratio in the zip code etc.