First I knew I was in real estate for the long haul, second I spent a lot of time on BP getting free information, watching podcast, and reading books, but for me I needed structure and someone to say "Here is my verified track record, this is how I train, and if you are teachable I can show you how it's done; BUT you have to take the actions I tell you".

Bet on number 7 in the second race if you live across from the track....No really.....One oddball I have read in a couple of books and even online (here and elsewhere) that may have some merit is juding a potential property/tenants by their vehicles....( not the only metric for sure but just one observable factor of many to consider along with all the other data points and best practices).If the place you are looking at has a bunch of older inefficient, beater cars in the lot, this may be a management issue (leaking oil, immobile cars, unsightly) AND also eating up the tenants monthly paychecks in repairs, fuel, etc. 

@Blake King  - a couple of other books (easy to read) "The Wealthy Barber" by David Chilton and "The Richest Man in Babylon" by George Clason.You're on the right track and good luck with whatever decision you decide.

It's been a combination of a). moving around so much and b). an unyielding desire to avoid conventional career tracks.

But, they can be very skeptical of new investors without a track record.  

The lawyer helped him track down proof of the renewal that immigration had 'lost' and worked it out quickly.

We have a bit of a run trying to track down the senior lienholder on the property.

Interestingly, they have a graph that shows my market is perfectly on track at 4.5% appreciation per year over the last 20+ years, 2003-2012 is just a big zig zag in the middle.

As an investment property, does the buyer/investor usually take on the responsibility of tracking that or does it not work the same way as a conventional loan?

@Wes BlackwellGreat study post WesI believe it may be sitting on market so long and warrants a lower price because it backs right up to an active train run.....see the train tracks?