They're all good answers that matched the "it depends" mentality that I was expecting.

Without understanding what you want to accomplish, it can be difficult to determine the best course of action.  

But once you see that $16,000 of the $20,000 are prepaid homeowners’ insurance and property taxes (that you'll be writing a check for shortly anyway), you determine that the actual one-time closing cost is only $4000.

I imagine there may be steps to take with the city upfront to determine if in fact the ground on the lot can be built on, but some general guidance or tips on best place to start and what to expect throughout the new construction process in Buffalo.

Having a consultant who has worked with the agencies before is a huge plus.Alongside the developer, creating a defined site plan is needed to determine the improvement & infrastructure cost. 

. - What systems/software do you recommend to use to determine the markets to invest/buy into?

From macro economic perspective, These cycle can only be executed when Fed is increasing money supply.Syndication is like the wolf eating a wolf game, it's just at what one position during cycle that would determine you make it big money or you may commit suicide ( there's GP that's already committed suicide) just saying how serious it is ...My fist commercial mortgage was a 10 year.

I have consulted with a few attorneys over the past couple years regarding this and have determined that for my own personal situation, umbrella insurance provides sufficient risk mitigation for my situation at this time.

The above two are your major liability determinants.  

U get a few of these folks that are influencers and then you get the herd mentality..