what should a person look for?

I see paintings all the time at garage sales, auctions, flea markets, and others that are way cheap. I never pay much attention to them because I know nothing about this kind of art. I seen one yesterday that had a metal plaque on it that said "Chrysanthemum by Margot". It was kind of neat and they were only asking $10.00. The frame that it was in looked old. The staples and nails that were holding the frame together looked really old and it had some weird really thin paper going all the way across the back of it. I was gonna buy it but I decided not to because I don't know anything about paintings.  I am not necessarily looking to buy and then resell right away at a profit. Is there any websites out there that will help me on my quest for information? Can somebody give me some ideas on what to look for? Also how does one tell the difference between a painting and a print? Are prints worth anything? Any ideas or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Look for something that appeals to you:)

First step is to make sure its a real painting not a good print.  Look fot pixels under magnification.

Look for something that appeals to you:)

Best advice ever...

I have wall high-contrast murals in my house, sculptures, ceramic collages, prints, collages, water color, tempera, oil and multi-media...none are for investment, just pleasure, and some for fun.  Also have blocks of wood mounted as art...and wimsical wood spritit sculptures placed throughout the garden and patio areas...