@James TobinJames, congratulations on deciding to take the first step into real estate investing!

A relative who does long-distance real estate investing told me that I have to sign the final loan document and the transfer of ownership document in person.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to network with local real estate agents who specialize in short-term or mid-term rental markets.Good luck with your new venture! 

That has nothing to do with your portrayal of the real estate profession.

_______________________________________________________________________________Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

As a GC, real estate broker of 25 years, and an experienced flipper, go with the cheap method.  

Purchase price: $1,485,000 Beautiful estate-like property in the Redwood forest above Santa Cruz CA.

Take the time to connect with investor-friendly pros who understand your strategy, and don’t rely solely on pro formas—talk to local investors and analyze real numbers.

The real pool season is 3-4 months, which also sways my opinion. 

These are things at the high level I want to be looking at for all my real estate purchases.