I still think developing good relationships with brokers is the best way and will get you the best results quicker than going direct to seller. 

That's the reason there are few successful entrepreneurs, most fail rather quickly, and the rest of the population is working 9 to 5 jobs. 

Maybe attend a chamber of commerce meeting and ask around where development will start.

My core investing philosophy is pretty simple, and has done very well across almost two decades and numerous cities:1) Invest in cities with population (and job) growth2) Invest in parts of the city where household income is near the median (or slightly below)3) Invest in properties that provide cash flow from day 1 Thank you for sharing that. 

This gives you a foundation for making a fair offer.Secure Financing: Be prepared to show you’re a serious buyer with funding lined up, whether through cash, traditional financing, or a creative option like seller financing.Have a Strategy for Repairs or Development: If the property is distressed, outline how you’ll handle improvements to bring it back to productive use.

And then you can use that information to start to develop your own personal due diligence method: Crowdstreet.com, 1031 Crowdfunding, Akr7, Finresi etc.

While sophistication of your equity partners (private money lenders) will vary between residential and commercial, the principle of raising private capital is the same.You need to develop your own system which allows a constant stream of PML even when you don't need the funds and/or don't have an active deal under contract.For example; I raise private capital by offering free educational workshops for people with self-directed IRAs.

For anyone that is looking at developing or purchasing an STR in Packwood, WA I would take a peek at the numbers that are on the rental sites and the amount of bookings. 

Happened to me many years ago on a Townhouse development I was the Broker for in the 80s..

Finding, developing and maintaining a 'brand' is hard and time consuming work.Let me turn the question around; As a seller, why should someone pick one agent over another.