I attempted to do a background check but as she doesn't have a US Social Security number, I was unable to.

I'd like to use for future endeavors. 

I'm right next door in Gaithersburg.If you don't have a property yet, I'd attempt a househacking strategy.

haven't posted in a long time so please be gentle...my wife and i purchased a piece of land 3 years ago to build on (for ourselves). instead of building, and due to the madness of "covid" times, we ended up buying a house instead.we've been attempting to sell our land for 3 years now and have had 5 contractual offers. 2 of the buyers ducked out during attorney review for valid reasons (the land is near a landfill that's defunct), 2 because "they didn't know building was so expensive" (come on, do your research), and 1 recent offer backed out three days before closing!

Also figure out whether the work involved is worth the expected returns.I found that getting over to do work on a house I didn’t live in to be far more challenging than anticipated (so I won’t be attempting any flips in the near future).

I'll keep this in mind as I search for the right professional to support my endeavors.

should I pay a professional to do the work or do I attempt DIY?

Best of luck on all your future endeavors. 

It would be a good attempt to tell them to up their offer to $224k to cover their closing cost though.

Would you recommend a "rookie" to invest out of state as their first endeavor?