Ive known i wanted to be in real estate since i was in the 11th grade and now is the first time i have the time and determination to make it happen.

Once you get one I can show you have I determine the ARV using comps, the county website, and neighborhood grade.

It is a little intriguing to observe the "humble beginnings" of such projects - where all of the preliminary work is done such as surveying the land, demolishing existing structures, installing utility infrastructure (or what Jon refers to as "horizontal development"), grading the land...and just all of the "prep-work" that is done before the structure begins to rise from the ground.

I lived up to what people have always told me growing up which was about getting good grades and job etc.

(grade 2 and up, the 1's were terrible).

I suggest you give this a read: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/2015/12/09/class-a-b-c-d-real-estate/I have provided you below with a chart and table showing how the grade of a neighborhood correlates with the price to rent ratio in the Phoenix Market.  

As such I created The Ultimate Guide to Grading Cleveland Neighborhoods so out of state investors can get a firm grasp on the Cleveland market.Knowing the pros and cons of each type of neighborhood is very important as the price points in the Cleveland market are so much cheaper than what most investors are used to it's hard to know what deal makes sense & what deal is just junk.Another point i'd like to make is you can make or loose money in any market.

Our son is in 8th grade and wants to go to college at Virginia Tech and she wants to buy a place near the school and rent out rooms to try and defray some of the school costs.

Grades matter, who you know matters just as much or more.

I can tell you that everything in our house is builder grade except for what we have replaced.