Remote Investing: How to know if the property is in good shape?

[Brad Brazier]

If I'm wanting to buy a property on the other side of the country, how I can find out if the property needs a lot of repairs or is in good shape? Do I need to hire an inspector to check it out and also would someone selling their house just let me send an inspector over to check it out, I'm not sure what the common practice is in this situation, thanks in advance for any help! 

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Brad Brazier:

If I'm wanting to buy a property on the other side of the country, how I can find out if the property needs a lot of repairs or is in good shape? Do I need to hire an inspector to check it out and also would someone selling their house just let me send an inspector over to check it out, I'm not sure what the common practice is in this situation, thanks in advance for any help! 

Yes, you will need someone to put eyes on the property. I recommend you read "Long-Distance Real Estate Investing" by David Greene. He goes deep on this with very practical advice on how to build your team, how to use your team members to cross-check each other's work, etc. For example, you could have a REALTOR find you the deal, but you'll use a Property Manager to confirm the property will work as a rental. The Property Manager may say it needs $5,000 in cosmetic updates, but your contractor may look at it and discover bigger problems that could cost you $50,000.