I've been a professional baseball player for 12 years (Most in the minors) and suffered a concussion this spring.

Truly value add players, like flipping a home, add value to the apartment and once that equity is achieved, sell in 3-5 years and go find another one to do the same thing.  

That's how you do a safer deal than most, especially if you don't have the cash (and absolute certainty of ZBA approval) to compete with the big players who typically buy all cash and no contingencies.  

and rub elbows with players in the industry (both on the landlord and retailer side).

Of course not caught a fish but was the best trip because i was knowing theirs desires and the captain went them to the beach of Super Paradise where  i booked a table  in one of the best restaurant beach bar.The other case where my client asked what  to suggest him to make a romantic dinner in the villa , so I arranged a gourmet meal with chef, small candles floating in the pool and saxophone player playing  jazz music .

Have the patience to just get a good idea of who the players are so you won't get into a bidding war with any Investor that may cause you to overbid on a property.  

GREAT insight imo :)There are lots of players in the selling supplies and tools in REI, BP only being one. 

If you attempt to duplicate, step by step, what another player did, you'll lose because no game is identical to another game.You need to understand why real estate is unique, why it is valuable, how it is valued, why no two parcels are the same, what effects value that can be changed to profit from, why different regions have different market conditions, what the requirements must be to establish market value, how title effects value and how does title transfer, how government plays on real property requirements that effect value, and the list goes on.Yes, you'll learn terms, legal terms, like encroachment, easement, plat and survey, property descriptions, market value and what must be present to establish a market value, what a single family dwelling is (many here don't even know what that is, yet they try to deal in them), you'll learn what property rights are and how certain rights are conveyed, what may cloud title or encumber title, what a lien is and types of liens as well as their priority, what responsibilities there are with ownership.....and the list goes on.You really need to know what is and isn't legal or ethical in dealing in real property as opposed to personal property.

If you are going to go turnkey, see what teams are in those markets, and identify the best players.  

If you setup a keyword alert for turnkey you will quickly see who the major players are in those markets.Good luck in your search.