Another thing to keep in mind is to know or identify  what it is  you can bring to the deal yourself  whether it is  the property that you have  or whether it's  your  experience in something else such as rehabbing or  some sort of niche  that makes  having you in on the deal valuable

My extensive knowledge and background in construction allows me to identify good and sound buildings when I see one.I came across an opportunity to buy a property built in 2018 which consists of  5 units at an asking price of $875,000.00 All 5 units are rented and bring $94,000.00 / yearMarket demand can bear an increase of rents by 10% I am very familiar with the area and I believe the price is below market value for a number of reasons. 

You will be able to identify many of them during due diligence

Which should I give more weight to as one guy job is to identify risk and the other is to actually get the work completed? 

I would really like to prepare myself over the next year or two and be well versed in syndication as well have target markets identified.

But here are a couple strategic moves to consider, adapted from proven business strategy principles.First, identify what qualities are considered table stakes... just basic things that are expected and will drive clients away if you don't have them (e.g answering the phone, being honest, knowing the market, etc). 

I also have a spreadsheet I use to identify the short comings, just in case my guy can't show.

However, people look at a lot of aspects like location, floor plan, price, condition, neighbors, commute, landscaping, smells, etcWhat I've done is an "open" and placed recorders around the place to capture the conversations people make so I can identify some of their comments good and bad.

And yes, there is agents in the market I advise my clients that we should not work with because if we do, it is going to blow up in our face.however if your client insist they want to work with an offer from one of your agents you identified as a poor agent.. and everything is disclosed to your seller you would still work with the butt head right.. but have very tight reins on them higher EM deposits.. ( we do that when I am the seller for certain people in our market I know that are prone to pull fast ones.. 

For example cities like Detroit are categorized as Opportunity Zones, You need to check with your state to identify those areas that qualify.