He is also very suspicious... parks very large vans (about 4 to 6 at a time) in front of his property and on his driveway to cover the house, has cameras everywhere, is hanging cloths from his patio cover so no one can see the inside of the house, etc. 

@Tamar HermesPlease see the following regarding Considerations re Investing in Real Estate & Considerations re Choosing a Solo 401k provider:General Considerations Re Investing Retirement Funds in Real Estate:1.

I would want to see the deal structure if you can buy alone by yourself or are you trying as some kind of group.

Certain mall's in particular I could see the statement being made, but I can't say I'd agree with 'commercial' falling into that.

I am not planning to do a mail campaign but want to see the market direction for timing the investment (though one can't time the market perfectly, but don't want to invest when it is at its peak). 

Would anyone have advice for where they see the Toronto GTA (DURHAM) region market going for single family detached homes?

I was quite nervous going in and wanted to get the property sold asap, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the RE market is still going so strong in Seattle area. 

Just as you should be doing, they are going to want to see the ARV being more than the acquisition and renovation costs.  

You don't see the benefit of them until there's a problem, and that's not the time to do the right thing. 

If you are looking at properties on Redfin, click on the "public facts" tab and you will see the most recent tax bill and assessment.