Brand New; Desperate for REI advice

[Nathaniel Molnar]

Hey everyone. My wife and I are brand new to REI and have secured funding for our first flip via HELOC. We are looking on the MLS, driving for dollars, and getting on buyers lists. My rookie question: how can you judge whether or not a house has major (i.e. very expensive) issues just by looking at pictures? i.e. structure and other big ticket items. I guess I am just terrified of buying a house and losing a lot of money and ultimately failing at this business. Some contractor rates seam to be out of this world for small things as well. My wife is more motivated to get our first flip going than I am and I feel like I am holding us back due to (my, not her) fear of the unknown. Any help/advice/motivation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.