@Kevin Si I agree with @Kory Reynolds - you want to work with a professional who fundamentally understands your business, whatever that is.

I think the fundamental mistake is thinking REI is instant cash flow. 

As someone in a BP podcast once said;"people will google what is on the bandit signs in their area"So consider it being a second-hand approach to your web presence.

I don't recommend buying in the same market over the course of a number of years because market fundamentals are constantly changing, but you certainly can for a while.

@Amiee ThompsonWelcome to BiggerPockets, the site I consider to be Best for Real Estate on the web. 

Welcome back while the market might have changed the same fundamentals are still important.

Make sure you run your scenario by your lender, instead of just relying on your interpretation from HUD's web site.

@Megan Bridgette,My past experience was with HUD homes and it was so long ago that these web resources did not yet exist (early to late 1990's).Today, I would use Zillow for comparables so I would have an idea what to expect before approaching an agent for a CMA.

While I was/am not an inspector, I have good mechanical skills and construction fundamentals, so the walk thru was sufficient. 

My name is Andy and I was just browsing the web page and came across your post.