@Bryan Clement great observation.

Casual observation.

I speak more like an outsider in RE, and my opinion is based on my general understanding of a bigger picture and lifetime of observation of things around me.If you ask of technical side, I would say what you pay for investment property will decide the outcome of your project.

Also, though this may be a superficial observation, his profile pic makes me suspicious.

Example: our insurance agent drove by the properties and gave a different opinion than the seller vs. the inspection company. great approachWeGoLook.com - can't remember where we heard about this option, but there's a company called WeGoLook that you can pay to drive to a property+neighborhood... they'll take pictures, video and do a simply 2 page PDF summary of their observations.

just my observation.. some cities are simply worse than others.. one main thing I always look at is bar's on windows and caged condenser units.. that's an indication at least of petty theft.. but stolen condenser that will cost you a few bucks when and if that happens.

Real estate and insurance kind of go hand in hand, so while working in the insurance industry, I’ve also been blessed to learn a lot about real estate, property values, building maintenance and observe successful organizations.I currently have a few single family properties, but recently decided that from a growth standpoint, it makes more sense to pursue multi-family properties.  

Just an observation.

Despite Harvard’s international fame and energetic alumni outreach, somebody like Mike would not experience an observable “Harvard effect.”

Again, same thing here... just vague personal observations unbacked by any credible verifiable fact.