And I would argue, likely lower expenses and less headaches.I think the best bet would be pulling a Donald Trump and getting in on an entertainment / casino / development deal.

For instance, Benjamin Moore Affinity Collection has 140 colors specifically designed for their Aura Paints to help the DIYer pull off a more sophisticated and cohesive palette.

So an analyst for one, would be doing very sophisticates analysis of larger commercial properties.Remember the general rule.

JMHO.A sophisticated way to profit if you truely believe this area is in the path of progress is to contact owners and offer to buy an option to buy at some present value for as many years as they'd agree to for a few $k.  

Also, since they are much more loosely regulated, it is easier for a real estate developer to commit fraud and not be detected.So it makes sense to me that there are rules in place to prevent "the average Joe", who probably isn't very sophisticated, from being ripped off.

You can go to the county Geographic Information System (GIS) or tax assessor websites, depending on size and sophistication of county, and you may find free tools available to search sales by neighborhood or zip code or price range and dates.

That is what I do with my SD IRA, I also am a managing partner of a fund which invests in notes and allows sophisticated and accredited investors to make double digit returns in a passive position.

And all of this will yield first hand experience and perspective in our market so that when we do move towards property management, we will be able to have a much more sophisticated discussion about our needs and expectations due to the fact that we have done it ourselves. 

Returns are attractive and you can think of these depending on the approach as being big, sophisticated flips over a 3-5 year period.  

I mentioned in another thread, but investing in a hot market like Toronto, is possible, but requires more sophistication by the investor.