I recently quit my job to dedicate full time to RE investing.Given the macro instability Latin American economies faced for decades, people with savings are constantly looking out for opportunities to invest in the US, specially in RE.So, a few months ago I partenered with a RE developer from my country and we are now focused on getting multifamily deals in Florida.Looking forward to connecting with all of you and adding value where I can!

I recently found myself struggling to even find a podcast to listen to, none sounded like anything that would serve me in my current state of mind, (out side of BP On the market, let's be honest that's the only reason i have any idea what's going on at a macro level with the economy at all, so anytime a new episode is out there its a listing immediately).  

You just need to learn the macro.

To answer your question though, yes home improvement and marketing counts.

Agents may also have macro data on historical data, local median sale prices, absorption rate, etc to help with your analyses and projections.Networking/build a team: Attend local meetups, virtual meetups and stay active on forums like this.A lot of this will be done in front of a PC unfortunately but if you cut out the noise, you'll be able to maximize your time.Lastly, something that has helped me tremendously with respect to focus and improving efficiency is the pommodor technique. 

Count the 10/15/20's.

They usually have the rent amounts listed by bedroom count.

I would make sure your bedroom count is the same, and baths within a half bath.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from a macro perspective is to run your own race.

Small unit in small unit count is the most expensive development.