Two heads are better than one.  

I used to live in West LA (live in Venice now) and I was an aerospace engineer :) I transferred positions with Lockheed from Atlanta to Palmdale out here and then left it to head into the REI world.

Not just in your head.

Things I have found renters care less about than I do: new cabinets, fancy light fixtures, specific types of flooring (other than no carpet), granite countertops, outside landscaping, fancy siding, heavy curb appeal in general, fancy appliances, and probably other things I can't even think of off the top of my head.

Thanks for the heads up!

I'm struggling to wrap my head around how you all seem so "hands off" in comparison to ourselves in terms of labor, and so incredibly strategic as far as finding deals.   

Hit the nail on the head, I didn't treat this as a business transaction, I shouldn't have allowed the leniency.

When you visit a city as a tourist or even with an investor mindset for the first time, your head tends to pull to the emotional side -- what a cool town, love the vibe, I feel comfortable here, this looks too rough ... etc.

I want to know if the area I'll be heading to in NJ has any new developments planned or maybe even in progress.

@Aziz BangurahIf you've had 5 years to get ready for this moment and you still don't know where to begin, you may already be in over your head.