Does this come down to what Russell mentioned of sticking to the big players trusting that anyone that operates in the $1billion+ ballpark is inherently trustworthy? 

I remember hearing an interview with a professional poker player a while back and he said something like "how many normal people can come home after a 10 hour workday and say 'hey honey, so I lost $40,000 today.'

Everyone played their role, and each player blames the other. 

If there aren't any videos being made of that process then try to find news articles or public information about them on the City and/or County's official site.There's also something to be said for simple Google and/or Google Maps searches, such as "newest Dollar General in Greenville, SC" or "best discount used tires in Greenville, SC" because, chances are, the Dollar General corporation (and the like) is not going to put up a new store in what they believe is an up-and-coming area.On the flip side, try to scope out when and where big players are making moves.

Ken Harter in Oregon biggest player in assisted living space POOF... what killed most syndications last go around was the freezing of capital.

Personally I'd learn who are the players in your market and ask them how you can bring value to their business in some way.

The second variable is players in the market and the third variable will be how much capital you need to deploy to get a ROI on your time and money. 

Download and sort the data and you will find every major player in your area.

Local meetup groups are a great way to meet the players in your area. 

Unless you are one of the big players it is not very useful, you may get a feel of the direction of general market that is about it.