I'm interested in the Vineyard, UT area because its close to my work and caters to the college crowd/early professionals. 

But I am back and ready to take another crack at things now that I possess some knowledge from reading books and listening to podcasts.

I bought a flip a while back and was able to talk to the town inspector to give the CO despite some issues (water damage, cracked windows, etc) because he knew I was going to fix them all when I took possession.

You live in one of the most profitable states in the country with far and away the largest GDP and one of the highest housing costs (behind HI and NY) with white collar educated professionals able and willing to pay rent. 

It's also a simple matter of professional courtesy.

Hope to connect with and learn from other investors and professionals in the industry - both in Charlotte and across the US.

After moving in I did some medium renovation to the 2nd floor, mostly myself, but hired professional too.

There are several other tax professionals on here as well.

Other investors doing the strategy may be living in a Fool's Paradise that will end without warning (the economy softens, the authorities crack down, whatever).

i'm looking for the forum's advice on the most efficient/effective way of weeding out properties. i'll be living in the property for at least a year. while i live there, i'll be living in it (so property can't be a complete rehab), fixing or improving the property, and then either flipping or renting out the property. i've looked at about 18 properties the past 3 weekends (i just started 3 weeks ago). the 18 properties were chosen based on 2 broad criteria: 1) based on pictures, description, and google street view, choose properties close to the metra (in illinois), in a location with a great high school (>=8 score), and in nice(r) neighborhood.2) look at zillow for an idea on property values in the neighborhood so that i'm not buying one of the most expensive houses in the neighborhood. if i feel the house i'm looking at is somewhat undervalued because it needs work and there's some room for me to flip, then house passes.this criteria has helped me weed out 100's of properties, but takes me a bit of time.i'm curious, is this a good start or are there other ways that the full time/professional investors use?