Buying Real Estate in Georgia- Out of State

[Ophelia Nicholson]

I have been very intrested in buying houses in Georgia - Areas include Atlanta, Lithonia, Decatur - This is before I had ever stepped foot in the state for the first time.
A few months ago I got tired of waiting and we just got on a plane and went, stayed in a hotel for a few days and went out with a realtor. Afterall a 200k house in MD/DC was a 40k house in Georgia. I was thinking more towards renting the properties with a property management in place and eventually moving there one day.

While on my visit the realtor basically told me that as soon as I put any appliances, granite, piping basically anything in these houses that they would be stolen and that has basically curbed my appetite for the state but now I'm hungry again to invest there.
Does anyone have any experiences with this- is it that the moment I put something in someone will be in there taking them.
J Scott seems be successful in the region- Is there a specific part of Georgia that is better than the rest. Where in Georgia are you guys finding good results.
Thanks everyone.