Of course, they have not done a CMA, have no idea about recents sales and comp values, so they just grab a number out of thin air based upon some anecdotal info ("I heard another house 3 streets over sold for $200K, so...").I REALLY appreciated your info @Terry Evans - I love that kind of testing and hearing the results of it.  

https://www.google.com/maps/place/BJ's+Restaurant+%26+Brewhouse/@39.2904,-84.46667,17z/data=!

if you look at the data, most areas appreciate about in line with inflation.  

Also look for areas with population growth Where to find your dataIn terms of the input data we discussed above, here is where you should be looking for each of these: Property Details: This information should be available from the seller, but more comprehensive and detailed information can also be obtained from your local County Records OfficePurchase Information: Obviously the seller is going to name a purchase price (which will likely be negotiable, of course), but the more important information here will be any upfront maintenance or improvement work that needs to be completed to ensure that the property can (or continue to) meet its income potential.

College (degreed in anything) means they know how learning is structured, prerequisites to learning to build on, communication skills, testing (yes, testing as you can't advance until what is been taught has been determined to have been learned).

There are plenty of defaulted mortgage data providers.

My test is scheduled for the first week of August so hopefully soon!

I'm no guru, but I think I have a pretty good grasp on the math....here's my process:The 70% rule of thumb is great for giving any deal the "eyeball test".

If I get licensed in either Virginia or Maryland, getting a DC license only requires a one-evening legal class and then the test, so essentially I just need to pick between VA or MD.

The certification classes I don't believe you need to take to qualify to take the test but they would obviously help.