Be very discerning though, as Essex County is quite a dichotomy with very affluent, upper-middle-class areas directly bordering very poor, high-crime neighborhoods.

Note that you can be a bit more discerning for owner-occupied units, but fair housing rules are still in play. 

Your ability to discern who is the most professional or what is the most professional way to develop a team that reduces maintenance costs and vacancies will be how you maximize your cash flow.  

Otherwise, it will be difficult to discern.

Investing in Cleveland from a distance, I found it hard to discern the lines between C-class properties/ neighborhoods and D-class properties/ neighborhoods.

If there were multiple reviews on the reports and more professional opinions (multiple local knowledgeable Realtors and more appraisals, etc), than maybe we can discern what happened. 

I'd want to know where the prepayment money came from and you will probably be able to discern that from his credit report.

Set your goal - things to do - do the the thing you fear, understand how to eliminate PHONE FEAR Meet others people at public auction - attend certain real estate meetings, discern between real knowledge and fluff - don't buy any  courses, make friends with a person with a substantial portfolio of properties, keep your BS meter toned!

However, having been in this game on both ends of the spectrum I have found that most smaller investors ($1M-$5M) have no real discernible strategy.

For a bought system, assuming the output was sufficient, the savings should be considerable, and the value can be high to a discerning buyer.The reason that I have no interest in a leased system is that the buyer has forfeited the 30% credit to the company installing it for (likely) minimal electricity savings, in exchange for a 20 year lease on equipment that is quickly becoming out-of-date (cost per watt to install solar is decreasing rapidly year by year).