There seems to be a good percentage of the general public that thinks you need a real estate license to be an investor too.

I got a degree in public relations from BYU (fellow Utahn woooo) but I've done barely anything with it, unless you want to count my small freelance writing business as PR-based (I could have started that without my degree).

Do you mean just before the loan officially gets reported in public filings as in foreclosure?

I’m sure it’s location, amenities, proximity, tenants, transportation, population, crime, etc.

Well, that's a bit difficult to quantify as a lot of it has to do with political scoring and public perception. 

You can look for evictions and judgements via public records which are easy to access here.  

Private Transport and Ride Sharing8.

Look for executors and administrators of estates in the public record.

It’s in a highly desirable area for families (good schools) but also close to businesses, transport, a major university, and walking distance to high end shops, restaurants, etc.

I won't share the numbers publicly, but it can be very profitable.