@Charlie GreenwoodCongrats on breaking the ice and welcome to BP.Ogden may not have the cash flow that the mid-west markets do, but it has better fundamentals.  

@David Burton I'm not sure what is meant in your comment about an "optional contract", but your lawyer should understand the use of a straight purchase option contract.Perhaps his objection to the use of a modified P&S contract is that it is fundamentally a bilateral agreement (i.e., both parties are required to perform).A straight purchase option contract, however, is specifically designed to be a unilateral agreement (i.e., only one party -- in this case the seller -- is required to perform). 

While he may not have more than a year of REI experience, he has posted some quality responses with sound business fundamentals.

I work in digital marketing so Im always describing things as simply and fundamentally as possible.

This is the fundamental problem I have with Wall Street who takes too much fees off the hard-working efforts of the middle class.

In addition to cash flow however, you should be looking at markets with strong economic/demographic fundamentals with modern/diverse economies that will offer good appreciation over the long haul.

A lot of the fundamentals of investing (and life) are similar, but DR has its nuances.I would suggest you do not buy there until you spend some time there. 

That being said, you will need to learn the fundamentals of what constitutes a good deal..its all about the leases.  

In full disclosure, I have never really spent much time looking at RLGY or RMAX, but in the wake of disappointing results recently and significant drops in their share prices, I am curious on either the long or short side from a fundamental long term perspective, but its possible perhaps there is simply "nothing to do".On one hand, I am wondering what impact new entrants like Compass (and Redfin at the opposite end of the spectrum) are having on the large brand realtors in the eyes of brokers and agents. 

I made a scoring system and briefly considered every MSA with a population over 100,000 based on fundamental metrics (job growth, population growth, income growth, rent growth, and new construction).