Yes, what you said really helps to filter out a good token. This is what I usually do before buying new coins（presale or Private sale）.

I want to talk about my usual steps：
1.View his white paper
2.Check the currency holding address in the blockchain explorer（Check if the project has a reserved address）
3.Check TG or Discord community atmosphere（Usually there are fewer people at this time）
4.Chat with project administrators privately to see if they have the patience to answer