@Stephen Lofthus The links provided by @J Scott are great tools so if you have not had a chance, check those articles out.It comes down to what return you are looking for.

The knowledge that he has will make him an invaluable team member and as he put it, "just make sure I have something lean against and I will be fine". 

In my neck of the woods, it seems like most investors and people in general don't really use the video chat tools which are at their disposal for anything, anymore.

I'm curious what tools/metrics you all are using to determine the overall pulse of the market?

I just put my 4th rental under contract and this site has really been a valuable tool for me.

Another mitigating factor is that I think this area is set to appreciate in value quite well.

I am looking for a $1.2-$1.6m property with a 6-6.75 CAP with AT LEAST a 10 yr term remaining on fast food restaurant locations in larger metropolitan areas ( >80,000 population in 5 miles) preferably in TX and FL but will consider nationwide.The only tool I have really been using has been Loopnet.

You may never do any of the work yourself, but being able to visualize a component and have a rough idea what it should cost and how it is installed can be invaluable.

So, the time to invest in more expensive education isn't until you've exhausted your tools and need more than a hammer and screwdriver.

It appears that the county is considering the property's decline in value and doing a Prop 8 reassessment.