For my area...  larger geographic region...  
I scan first by area code / city to focus on gals who are within my area.  If the gal is not in my traffic circle...   It would be a waste of time to look further, unless I'm bore & just want to look at random pictures.
Second I check delivered as promised & real & recent pictures.  If NO than I'm not going to waste much time, though I will check a recent review or 2 to see if the problem hasn't been corrected (but no problem report filed).  Just being fair.  
I can do these steps fairly quickly & note if I have interest or not...  or hold pending further reviews.  No point in doing a lot of research if they don't pass the initial look see.  

Checking out possibilities from outside my geographic area seems like waste of time. Still "possible,"maybe, but I doubt I'd want to hop on a plane just to spend a couple hours with some lady because I thought her profile looked hot.

Usually I look to see if she is on P411. If she is, it is always easier to get clearance as I don't have to bother with references and can easily get screened based on the strength of my OKs.

My hobbying is always away from home. There are a number of cities that I visit for work or pleasure and through TER I see reviews from them. I like a particular body type....thin/slender so I can search those cities with the specifics that I admire most. Verification is for the safety of both parties and I prefer that a screening is taken. I alert my previous providers that I am using them as a reference. I agree that P411 does make this easier but in some cases it is not enough and a provider will ask for additional references.