Now I would make sure that the title company holds the deposit not the seller, I as seller prefer to be paid the deposit but I am OK with a title company holding it.My biggest concern would be that, as said above, the numbers they give you may not be real numbers, You need to be able to evaluate the property on your own and not trust the numbers they give you for repairs and resale value, rents, expenses etc.

I find new inspectors (both new to the profession and/or new to the city/county/etc.) tend to be the ones with the biggest power egos.

Legit REI products have an About Us or Who We Are which details the credentials and background of the founders.Also, there is high probability that incentives were offered to come here and say how good it is since the site offers incentives for positive testimonials pre-product. 

Hello BP Community, The time has come for me to deal with one of my biggest real estate fears... rehabbing, and specifically rewiring, a cigarette smoke-filled home.

For real estate/investing, I have found that an understanding of finance and accounting can be the biggest benefit (if he can take extracurricular courses on sales too that would be helpful). 

With booming industries, significant business investments, a thriving tourism sector, and new tax incentives, the region offers a unique combination of opportunities that are hard to find elsewhere.

My biggest concern is finding the right contractors.

Their biggest problems are things like:“my net worth is $10M and $8.5M of it is in my three properties I purchased 25 years ago.

I agree that the swarms of "my market is great, contact me for more info" tends to be the biggest problem but a lot of that will depend on you, the poster - as @Russell Brazil mentioned just hit the report button on posts and we can check them out faster. 

It's the biggest feeder city there is besides NYC and also one of the most glamorized tourist spots in recent years.