You want to be able to talk to their contractor (to see what they did), do reference checks on their contractor (to see if they have a reputation for quality), and assess the scope of work (did they put lipstick on a pig, or remedy some of the more critical issues an older dwelling would have). 

Screening, Job history, Eviction background  are my critical assessments of potential tenants.  

Anyone have any thoughts/constructive criticism, comments?

One more critical thing to consider is "who is paying the bills?".

It is critical that you do it right and during the lease up window. 

I will schedule the first session once we have critical mass.Also, if you have a topic you want covered, please post it here.

Timing is critical in REI, even though no one really has the crystal ball.It comes down to vision, gut feeling, and your own risk taking.I moved to sf Bay Area from Boston in 2003.

Your strategy is a consideration for comps, as the comps you seek are also the catalyst for the strategy.For a while, before being an RE Brokerage - I heavily relied on comps from RE Agents, I sought out a RE Agent that was interested in a JV exchange of information: I am a numbers guy, RE agent was my gateway to information, I would trade deal analysis for the Agents clients for comp data access, the RE Agent sold more, I was able to buy more - win win :) Other alternate means, is triangulating data - Redfin, Zillow, Realtor, Property Auditor - be critical of all information, define a timeline and zone, I prefer .5mi-1mi. radius and 6mos trending, some like to use up to 1yr

Please do not hesitate to criticize my newbie plan (but preferably offer a solution if you do).

The design will influence the costs, so that question is critical. 4.