There were no local programs, all would be online. 

From looking at the website’s advertised interest rate (which was 2.75%) my impression was they were just looking at the date the property was purchased and estimating a mortgage payment based on the market rate at that time, 2.87% per Fannie Mae. 

That said, I can tell you that sometimes a standard form provided by an association or even the California Bar may not meet legal requirements for the local jurisdiction that your property is located in.

If your looking to learn the trade and want to find a mentor to guide you, the I would suggest visiting one of the local REI clubs in Spokane or Couer D'Alene.

I will be moving out of the country for work and won't be back until 2026 so we only have a "local" market for the immediate future and then we are locked in to "out of state" investing. 

Call agents locally that are doing 25-30+ deals a year and also property managers..

We have the opportunity to advertise on one but have no idea on a fair price.

Presumably you can also protect against this with the aforementioned neighborhood growth trends.A lot of money has been spent and lost trying to use the best information out there to determine local buying decisions at the property level.

I started a local investors group.

The site I used made it easy to compare local quotes and find affordable options without compromising on quality.