But I am so impatient for financial independence having worked for other people for many years and running into all sorts of tricks and disappointments.

One trick you can do to verify length of employment is look at the "YTD hours" and/or "YTD wages" column and do some math to determine if they've been there that long. 

.- It's the little 'tricks of the trade' that will increase your success rate and possibly get you a lower price.

Thanks @Ben Leybovich Will give you a call at the end of the week.p.s. this is not a trick to get Brandon's coat back...

They only get there when the seller(s) are unable to trick the local buyers.

@Asim Alam the trick is with picking the right comps in the first place, most recently sold, same neighborhood, similar features, etc.  

The trick, of course, is to get into an area that is about ready to take off.

At these numbers it looks like a solid deal and based on what you've described of the area you may see better than 2% rent increases and property appreciation over time.The trick will be getting it at $600k vs. the $700k asking. 

It's not a trick question but it is a leading question, as they say on TV :)Basically, if you're not a real estate appraiser and/or a real estate agent and/or contractor with lots of experience then you might not know.

If they're deceiving enough, they could pull a similar trick as you suggested with your one-month storage situation.