North of town, west of I-5: 95219 Brookside (high end gated communities; Mello Roos school taxes - so high taxes; Lincoln School District; some peat dirt problems on streets; don't know about foundations); Spanos Park West (some gated; lots of huge houses; basically built for commuters just west of I-5; Lodi School District) North of town, east of I-5: 95209 Spanos Park East, Colonial Heights (most Lodi Unified Schools; though small pocket of Lincoln Unified) North of town, east of I-5: 95207 Parkwoods and Lincoln Village (Lincoln Unified Schools; was considered best family area due to Lincoln Schools, but lots of flat tops and built since the 1950s so electrical can be kind of minimal - 1 outlet in kitchen instead of enough to use multiple appliances); lot of remodeling in this area.

Make sure that you have an inspection period of a couple of weeks to get contractors, inspectors for roof, foundations, electrical, plumbing, etc to make sure it is not needing too many repairs.From what you have said, it sounds pretty good.

Use a brokerage account (e.g. schwab, Fidelity, etc.) for the ~5%. 

@Wilson Lau does $400/sq ft includes everything - including foundation?  

Hey Eric, from your experience this is likely a property built with stone and mortar foundation as most properties in Philly area. 

Networking with like-minded individuals is an excellent first step towards building a strong foundation for your real estate endeavors.

I would get an inspection on every property even if its a shell . maybe there's something you don't see with foundation etc . few hundred for an inspection should just be a part of the expense of doing a project 

At $130K is where it should've been at in the beginning if it hadn't had all the foundation issues.

Once you have this team in place, you should have the foundation to invest in any market confidently while not being there physically.If you're interested in out-of-state investing, there are some great opportunities in the Ohio markets.

Focusing your efforts on specific forums related to your interests helps in making relevant connections.Offering value before asking for anything in return can set a strong foundation for future relationships.