Now they write the offer and send it online.

I’m a longtime investor here in Massachusetts and looking to start a monthly meetup with like-minded investors.

If you don’t mind my asking, what PMS do you use?

In my mind, out of state investing means extending the education and research phase and pushing the 1 year goal to maybe a 2 year goal.

The difference is night and day between using someone you find online or in a search vs a personal referral. 

To find a home inspector, you can look online via homeadvisor or thumbtack. 

Hopefully, you've approved a bid they submitted, so the cost is fixed - unless they can document the need for acceptable change orders.If they are charging hourly, then, yes, they may be able to charge you more the longer it takes.Keep in mind, your PMC is unlikely to have an exterminator and other licensed contractors on staff.

Offered $20k over asking within a week of it coming online.

In September, I found a property I was interested in acquiring online.

Online Facebook groups can be fruitfulOnce you find a property things tend to move fast so have a good contractor available to help you estimate repairs.