The process you are wanting and the type of comparisons you need to go ahead and work with someone as it gets involved and takes time to narrow down.

They do not function well: access to upstairs is usually difficult, often a narrow back staircase too narrow for bigger furniture, heating and colling ductwork is not split, so in the summer the lower will freeze and in the winter the upper will be too warm (and leave a window open).

Hi there.I would start by narrowing down a city you would like to invest in, set up a virtual meeting with property management companies in the area, ask them what neighborhoods they manage in and how much property improvement they are willing to do on your behalf, find a real estate agent, locate a property, buy it, and turn it over to the management company you most liked.This is probably easier now with docusign and virtual meetings being mainstream, I would check with the real estate agent to see what you need to do to get the closing notarized. 

After crawling through the forums for months and talking to people, I've narrowed down the choices to Memphis and Birmingham to begin executing my investing strategy.

I think I've already validated the demand for the concept,  I'm now focusing on networking with REI's and narrowing down the best markets/locations.If any one wants to bounce ideas or suggestions, feel free to PM me! 

I feel that between the books, listening to the Real Estate Rookie and the OG podcasts, and analyzing several properties each week...i narrowed down my search criteria to fit my goals...and BAM!

If you're looking for an investment property, how would you narrow down your search?

Open to ideas but narrowed on the search. 

That will help narrow down the target audience.

I know this really isn't much but can help narrow down leads if you do creative financing and target expired listings.