Horror or Great stories for out of state newbie investors?

[Adrian Jenkins]

Hello everyone.

As a newbie I am a little concerned about investing in a city and state I am unfamiliar with for the following reasons.

a) buying in a place I’ve never been to

b) not being able to tell what part is good or bad

c) not being able to tell if I’m being taken advantage of by a local real estate agent

d) since I work a 9-5, I’ll hardly ever go out to visit

Can anyone be kind enough to share if any of this was ever an issue or if you were able to jump though all these hurdles mentioned above?

In a perfect world I would find something on MLS, make an offer, get a referral for a property manager and then cash flow... however this seems to good to be true. Since I live in LA it's impossible here.

Thanks!