We are a real estate investment startup seeking a cloud-based flowchart solution that is both big picture and granular with 'to do' lists.

That is a really ambiguous question - if someone gave you money, it really doesn't matter what you did with it. The money they gave you needs to follow tax laws related to gifting. If you invested that money and made a profit, you need to pay capital gains on your profits unless you have done something to off-set or delay paying those taxes.

I've been investing in residential and commercial real estate for over 10yrs and have learned from a lot of decisions along the way. Certainly depends on the type of property, type of investment, and structure of the transaction. For example the answer would be very different between a SFR and a 200 unit apartment complex. I always start with the macro - what is driving people to rent property in that part of the city. Will the reasons people are renting there continue to support future rentals and future rental increases (jobs, development rules, pricing, etc.) If I like what I see for that city and that part of the city from a macro perspective, I look at the economics of the property itself (price per unit in relation to deferred maintenance, does the NOI pencil out to what I need it to be, is there upside in rents or utility bill backs or appreciation, am I buying at a discount due to deferred maintenance or lease risks, etc.) Then I look at the structure of the deal itself - if I am leading the investment and have LPs, what is the rate of return for everyone involved. What is the holding period, plan to sell vs. 1031 exchange, etc. Some of the areas where there can be difficulty is on deferred maintenance that a seller is unwilling to compensate you for (negotiation techniques are your friend here). Issues with the leases (some might be easy to overcome and others may not be). Financing (will a bank want to own that type of property in that city).

Go to city hall. There will be a desk for development...what name it is, well, that will change depend on the municipality. Talk to the staff and tell them what you want, and they'll send you to the right place. You want to talk to engineering and development staff and ask them who the best developers are. They will recommend who you should meet, and maybe even introduce you. When you are changing land use designations like this, it is very helpful to be familiar with city staff. The staff are the people who write the reports that go to council. Council depends on those reports for information to help them decide which way to vote. Ideally, you want a developer who is well known at city call, is used to working with staff, and is appreciated for their attitude. Density bonusing can be achieved in exchange for amenities, and if your developer has a history of making these kinds of horse trades with the city, all the better. What you don't want is a partner who gets the staff's backs up, and doesn't know how to get the best bang for their buck out of the development. Six years of city hall experience and in the construction field on my end.

1. Make sure you have a great list. By "great" I mean targeted to the specific demographic and psychographic profile of your market. 2. Make sure you have a great message and offer. 3. If you aren't a skilled copywriter - hire one. Consider your cost of client acquisition (and if you haven't calculated your cost of acquisition - you need to before you do ANY marketing) when deciding on how much you can afford. 4. Split test the mailing so you can find your control. 5. Measure everything. Give me a call if I can help with more on the specifics. And good luck!

Hello. I'm a real estate broker, investor, I've completed hundreds of real estate transactions and author of 5 books on investing. Based on my cumulative experience, I would never encourage investing in a region that an investor is unfamiliar. The common misconception is that real estate is easy when it is in fact a brutal business due to the use of leverage. Any miscalculation in your assumptions, will lead to losses. You have to understand the geography, the political climate, the neighborhood, understand where you are in the economic cycle, interest rates and determine if you are in the path of progress. I strongly suggest investing in your locality.