(For those not familiar with the book, he advises Phase 1 is the time to buy, Phase 2 is the time to sell, Phase 3 "Never buy", and Phase 4 is the market bottom so it's the time to research and identify properties for when Phase 1 begins again.)

Identify what you know, and gradually advance to master what you don’t.

I’m looking to identify most profitable markets, and the more granular detail on trends etc all the better.  

And it is a pain with pets there too.If a shed is available for my tenants the shed is identified as available in the lease. 

I suspect I should hire a plumber to visit the property and do an assessment on the fixtures to identify any inefficiencies?

I was able to identify the seller because she had all these for rent signs on the old homes.

We've identified two markets that we're looking to build a team in.

The second key is to identify which asset class of self storage you are looking to invest - Class C, Class B, and Class A. 

Identified several properties that would meet the 1% rule, however from my perspective they were all D-class areas.

Once you've done that, then identify the MSA's that are most likely to align with your goals.