I usually use my GC or building inspector to identify issues before hiring the "experts" to come in.When pursuing a new property, we budget $250 - $500/unit for diligence {the more units the lower the amount per unit}.

Looking back, the last warranty deed did not identify the mobile home on the land but the warranty deed before that did have the year, make and VIN#.

I have identified a few regions in the US where I'd like to look.

Unless you have a single family unit, good luck on identifying the culprit or collecting on the repairs.I did the landlord class some years ago and thought it was really good information....and FREE.

I alerted on "wife" (because mine is SUPER skeptical) and "risk" and "equity" and learned that: a) I had to figure out which market I wanted to be in (I have my primary residence in the bay area and my first investment property in Oregon) and b) learn my market. 4) I am now working on identifying and learning about different markets and the properties in those markets, while growing my knowledge base.

So without effort I can quickly gauge cash flow on each account to help me identify trends, etc.

Identifying that (and maybe just to me and you already know it) can help in giving you more concrete info on what to focus on to keep it less overwhelming.

You will be in a room with people with self directed IRA's looking for a place to put their money.When seeking money identify the pain.

My question to veteran developers out there: does anyone have a 'first glance' or initial proforma they use to identify which properties are worth doing a deeper analysis on?

The markets you are looking for will be on the outskirts of major markets (high dessert, central valley, etc.).Once you identify the market or a few markets, try to connect with a few BP members who are active in those areas.