@Sebastian AlborsIn my experience, buying a single-family home (SFH) in Asheville and house hacking with a family member like your brother can be a smart way to balance costs.

I am contacting homeowners on the pre foreclosure list, getting contracts.

You might want to limit your visits though to avoid escalation.Short term if the smart lock is on his personal door just change it to a key if it's isn't working for him, you can always switch back later.

on the chance that something comes to you somehow - you'd have to snap it up / put it under contract immediately, and again, that's very difficult to do remotely. 

They were a bit older than me and a smooth talker, and he knew everything about contracting... allegedly. .

Make sure to maintain a cash reserve (3-6 months of expenses) to handle unexpected repairs or vacancies.It’s smart to consider the “what-ifs,” but don’t let them hold you back.

I just signed a contract with the turn key company REI Nation today to invest from California.

That really isn't good enough in our opinion.Another option for you is if your property is in a realtively safe area, to install a wi-fi connected smart lock.

Purchase contract should show the entire legal as platted.

I had a STR in another market get shut down by zoning, so I put construction workers in there on a 30+day stay over the summer and now have a MTR tenant to keep the lights on through May after which I'll sell since I have no guarantee on having another 30+day contract next summer.