Out-of-towner buying property in S. Florida

[Jack Taylor]

Hi, I'm in Chicago and considering purchasing some rental properties in S. Florida, around Greater Miami. Not that location *necessarily* matters, but would it help to take some online real estate inspection courses for Florida (if they exist) to make sure I know what to look for when making purchases down there? Obviously the issues are different in some ways than they are in Chicago--i.e., flooding, probably insect issues, etc.. Plus, I don't think the knowledge would hurt anyway. I'd be curious to know what people think. I can just pay an inspector, but figured it may be good knowledge to have myself to vet out any bad properties from the start.