First he asked me to look for properties online and do my own assessment.  

In the meantime, read and study as much as you can about all aspects of this field.Any legitimate real estate transaction of any substance requires attorneys to review and create contracts and deeds etc, earnest deposit money, substantial due diligence money for appraisals, surveys, environmental assessments (phase1 etc) and inspections.

Perhaps you can post the opportunity in the BP Marketplace.

I also think that doing a drive-by could also yield some smarter or more nuanced questions for the uncle to really help you assess the viability of the deal.

A good mortgage broker (not a bank) can walk you through your options, assess what is holding you back, and advise what you can do to fix it.Call me old fashioned, but I don't think you are ready to invest until/unless you fix those underlying issues first.

Of course, as investors, we try to find those at a higher price point however, while assessing your comps what are some other factors you take into consideration? 

He was also marketing the properties on here if you look at his marketplace posts :)

We really need a well-connected local real estate agent to help us navigate the various sub-markets and assess strong investment opportunities.We are looking for a long-term relationship that is mutually beneficial.

Thanks Arlen, I agree with your assessment.

This is simplified by  discarding applications that are not easily assessed, time is money and applicants like this are not worth a landlords time.