You need to understand cash flow modeling, discounting, IRR, capm, etc. 

There business model is they need like 50 agents sending them business.

There are a few different business models - from pay per click to all you can eat, but we all get our base information from the county recorder and assessors offices.

The more and more I listen to him, the more intrigued I become about using his model and actually purchasing homes through his company. 

Same exact house models on her same block have sold earlier this year (February) for 395k and 445k.

That being said, that's not proven, it's just something I would make a bet on.Here are some positives I would look for:- Local character and flavor, these days walkable cities are very popular.- Young migration- New jobs and industries moving in- Business friendly environment- Near other areas that have grown recently- Good schools, universities, or another story for attraction- Cash-flow, gotta make your numbers in the meantime.

There are two types of IRA plans, those where a trust company serves as custodian and processes all investment transactions, or the Checkbook IRA LLC format, where such an IRA is subsequently invested into a specially created LLC that allows you to execute plan transactions out of a bank account of your choosing.Do some reading here and on the internet at large and then call a few of the firms that specialize in this field to get a feel for which plan type will best suit your investment goals and which provider will give you the best overall value of business model, access to advisory services, and cost.  

As I get closer to leaving my day job, I am considering how to offer some consulting and helpful services to out of state investors on a fee-for-service model.  

It is a good deal if your business model is based on buying properties at 107% of retail value.

Now we pass around defaulted loans like tic tacs claiming there is a flavor for everyone and risk is well mitigated.