Trust me...I'm not only a lender, but I'm an investor too.

Just make sure you’ve got a backup in place for any unexpected expenses that might pop up—trust me, they can happen.

Prioritize it, do thorough inspections, and trust your gut.

You could also create a trust but that comes with a little more administrative burden than a will.

I'd also go in with your own agent.I'd bet the listing agent's company is keeping the deposit even though it is meant to be in trust. 

This will be my first investment property and I am hesitant to just hand $30k+ to someone and trust it'll all work out.

It's hard to trust something that's not MLS. 

They said it is in a trust and structured so that it can't be sold until the owner's death? 

Offering these amenities can make a significant difference in your property’s desirability.If you're investing out of state, I'd suggest working with a good property management company or a trusted local contact to keep everything running smoothly.

@Olivier ChaineIn all trust deed or mortgage documents written by instructional lenders that I’ve come across, a change in ownership/manager structure of an LLC holding title to a property is a violation of the “due on sale” clause, so from a purely covenant violation sense purchasing the LLC doesn’t help you.