I'd also check around Bigger Pockets and other platforms for reviews. 

Qualify the contractor and highlight the benefits of working together which would include consistent work for them and regular paycheck.Personally, I'd buy the materials and never pay any money upfront, a "red flag" on its own.

@Shaheen Ahmed you can find all the info you need online if you know where to look - except that the City of Detroit Assessor's Office is consistently undervaluing properties to keep property taxes attractive for investors - to keep improving the city:)Here's some copy & paste infor for Michigan Property Taxes that you might be able to use as a template for other areas - or you could start investing in Detroit:)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Michigan has some of the most complicated property taxes in the USA.

Also leveraging platforms like PropStream and Batch Leads are excellent strategies for building a solid buyer list.

Real estate is  a difficult business and getting things consistently right is not easy. 

There was no consistent "mentoring" throughout the course, despite what was implied, or at least what I implied at the bootcamp webinar.

They chose a second home loan for their beachside property but later realized that refinancing as an investment loan was more advantageous when they started generating consistent rental income.

I think you're on the right track with Lowell - that's consistently been one of the most affordable markets in the greater Boston area when you consider price to rent metrics.

As experienced professionals, which of these platforms do you prefer, and why?

while still trying to keep up with the competition Do you rely more on direct-to-seller marketing, networking with agents, leveraging platforms like PropStream and Batch Leads, or just by looking at a lot of deals?