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. 

It is not always about stats.Recommendations:Neighborhood-Level Research: Don't just look at city-wide data.

What is the appreciation, condition, community, class level and vacancy rates?

And look, I don't doubt the anomaly potential, the Malibu homes etc. but point is when we get to certain price levels the price moves outside "median" purchase viability. 

@Dave Meyer, while I like the idea of this thread, I think there are a lot of nuances that go along with this.At surface level, I am in 4 syndications, 3 of the 4 are paused.  

Here are a few tips to make the most of your time on the platform:1.Engage in Forums: Join discussions on the forums to connect with investors at all levels.

They need to have enough disposable income to where they are not dependent on a high return, they need to be adventurous, they need to love the idea of owning a property in Costa Rica, and they need to have a very high level of trust in you and your ability to manage a property well in another country.

I work a lot, probably more than the average W2, but we also travel a lot, at least 6 trips every year.So that's what's driving me, numbers on a screen are nice, but they are not fulfilling on a personal level.

Our family had a summer home that had an open metal roof over part of the patio, and when it rained everyone was uncomfortable with the noise level.

I think the reason that Grocapitus or Neal Bawa were not getting much response either speaks to their level of participation in BP (Neal obviously doesn't spend much time here), or the fact that unhappy LPs were shy, or happy LPs were shy, or BP does a poor job of really getting posts noticed.