I feel as if many people have taken CRD's this year and the IRS will have little to no way on determining if they were truly affected.

Getting Pre-approved by a bank/lender is a great first step to determine how much you are qualified for and at what cost. 

Hi @Ryan Sullivan, I'd say the biggest determining factor in this is your market. 

How do you determine if a particular city is worth investing in.

From there you just determine repair costs, ARV, etc. to see if it would make sense OR you just keeping rolling as the previous owner did.

It's just another operational expense added to all the others to determine the value.

In both cases the bank will appraise the building (i.e. multifamily, commercial or otherwise) because the value of the building is required to determine how much the bank is willing to lend.

Your regular income gets added to the cap gain for the total that determines what bracket (0, 15 or 20%) you fall into. 

Is there a way to determine whether a real individual is bidding against you or that it is auction.com algorithm seeking to boost the price?

Not every agent understands investment real estate and they can lead you far astray.Know your numbers and dive into the forums and info on BP.Meet with a RE attorney to determine structure and get advice on the best place to start with your financial capability.Get a GREAT CPA to ensure your tax liabilities are minimized to the greatest degree.Find an INVESTMENT banker in your area and establish a solid relationship so when you find a deal they are willing to help you out.