For example, instead of asking, "What’s the best market to invest in?"

I'd pick a market close by, or that you have a strong personal connection to, or that you visit often.For example, these investors bought properties that "weren't very expensive," or at least didn't look that way:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/1215726-break...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...

As I go through my examples below know that I have a savings rate north of 50% on my W2 income which I invest into real estate to keep it growing. 

@Lincoln Waite Here is a great example of over complicating things into a net loss. 

So developers are building multifamily on these parking areas.Since these areas aren't located on top of residential areas, the zoning approval process has a lot less friction and resistance from NIMBYs.Here's an example in Rochester where an old Sears was turned into apartments for seniors.https://www.passero.com/projects/skyview-park-senior-housing...For multifamily developers, this could be an opportunity for building and partner with the mall owners.

For example, if you buy a home for 100k, and then improve the property and now it is worth 200k. 

Take brownsville, for example, very good cash flow market.

You can hear real-world examples of how others have built their investment portfolio and (hopefully) learn to avoid their mistakes.4.

For example, the iconic Malibu waterfront homes were built directly over the water, many by variance, and assumedly will not be permitted to reconstruct, certainly not with the same materials or attached architecture.

I would like to see how others do it and examples of what they do and how they organize said data.