However asking people about the market is just as much of a gamble as going down to the strip and asking which slot machine is doing the best or which table can I win on.

I'm going to buy one property at a time with my profits from the last one, until I can build up a bank and establish some credibility.As far as permits go, is that something that varies county to county or state to state, or do I need to look into county and state laws?

It's one thing to be frugal, not have car payments, etc but it's a whole other thing to leave your family and friends behind and start all over in a city you may potentially hate just to establish some buy and holds.

Right now my criteria is I will buy, but only if I can get them for under $55k a door, fully furnished, in good condition and with an established rental history. ...These mom and pop operations are really hard to deal with because they know what these places are bringing in, but they aren't claiming it on taxes, so they want me to go off their word- which I don't want to do.

It is underwritten by an established Credit Union in Iowa, and only charges 25 cents per transaction.

The rule of thumb I use is that if vacancy status can be established, we as lenders we have the right to protect our vested interest by taking actions to secure and preserve the collateral. 

Investing without education is just gambling.

The purpose of this zone is to provide an adequate variation of retail establishments and services that conveniently serve the needs of residents in the immediate neighborhood.

Your are better off taken the conservative route than taken a gamble about the future. 

You are trying to show a $60k increase in 8 months - show why your purchase was at a discount and where the market is.This is a duplex - so the appraisal will probably be about $600 - worth the gamble. but don't get carried away making improvements that may increase marketability but not value.