How often should an out of state rental be physically visited?

[Ty Mathews]

Hi everybody, 

                          This is my first post, glad y'all are here talking about this stuff!

            My question is about owning rental properties that are more than 500 miles away. Some RE investors that I have talked to say that an owner should physically inspect a property every 6 months, others say that if you trust your property manager you essentially never have to visit.

            I have a property manager that is honest and professional. I'm looking for advice on how often to visit the property physically.

                                                     Thanks!!

[Henry J.]

Ty Mathews
Welcome to BP!
I invest out of state and I try to visit my market once a year to see what's happening since last time I was there. I think everyone's visit frequency can be different, depending on how you answer these questions -
How well do you know your PM and how much you trust them?
How often does your PM inspect the property on your behalf?
How often do you communicate with your PM?
How in touch are you with the market and submarket?
I check in with my PM about once a month just to see how things are going. I ask my PM to inspect about every year and I will schedule a visit every year. This way the property is 'inspected' about every 6 months or so.
The visit is an expense that you can avoid, but I think it's important that your PM knows you care enough to visit, and meet them in person every so often, to stay on top of things.
Good luck investing!
Henry