Then it makes sense to spend money on the inspections, surveys, contractor bids, etc.Review of the financials can be tricky, particularly when the current owner has not kept the books correctly.

I would also recommend finding a mastermind that requires a paid membership.

Check out my post from a few months ago - https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/530/topics/1144123-lend...I did a survey of a bunch of lenders to find out their policies on active STRs and how they are valued.

Purchasing a membership in the syndication entity will not qualify. 

It is a paid membership but I believe you can attend the meet ups without being a member.  

I pulled data from the Census Bureau, the BLS, Zillow, and City-Data, along with referencing the following six reports: - Marcus & Millichap Annual US Multifamily Investment Forecast- CBRE Biannual Cap Rate Survey- Integra Realty Resources (IRR) Annual Viewpoint Commercial Real Estate Trends Report- Zillow Annual Consumer House Trends Reports- RCLCO Quarterly State of the Real Estate Market- PWC Annual Emerging Trends in Real EstateI then used primarily the market filtering criteria suggested by Joe Fairless (Best Ever Apartment Syndication Book) and David Lindahl (Emerging Real Estate Markets).I'm just worried that this is the same data being used by every other investor, potentially causing excessive competition.

They might double their membership and with mostly people already investing. 

I need a kick in the backside to push me off of the fence.What is your favorite feature of the Pro membership?

@Austin L Archer if you have a BP pro membership, they just added invelo.

Have you completed your Alta Survey and phase 1 environmental?