The one thing I wish I had known on my first deal was to find the pickiest most thorough inspector you can.

Who, what, when, where and why. side note: Are you having a home inspector walk through before closing? 

Also rented out my Indianapolis suburban home when I moved back to CA (long story but moved there for a while).

LOL   yeah, if you see amortization table for pviate loan and higher rate commercial, 90% of the payment is going to lender anyway LOLI would rather pay off that quickly as well. but for something like C/D class duplex somewhere in indianapolis with 2 percent rate, I can hold the loan for 30 years lol

You should have an inner circle of people you trust like your Banker, Agent and rely on the inspector to do their job.I have closed on many homes for customers that they did not visit first for example they are living in California buying in Indiana, Ohio, Florida or New York buying in Vegas. 

If you build (via managing a general contractor), you should (ideally) know more about how the property was built than if you bought an existing home--you know what's behind the walls, and ideally you might avoid anything wrong with buying an existing home with issues you and your inspector didn't catch.I understand there's risk to building--it just seems right now that the risk is lower than buying an existing house--a house where you simply cannot know every detail without tearing it down to the studs and doing a complete remodel.

Look into Indianapolis areas and Northwest Indiana.

Start with this mobile home inspection checklist.One quick caveat: Going through this list doesn’t preclude hiring a reputable inspector—ideally one with extensive familiarity with mobile or manufactured properties.

Hey there,I am looking to start acquiring rental properties in Indianapolis and wanted some feedback on where I should/shouldn't be looking and any other advice that might be useful.

I currently invest in northern Indiana (South Bend area) and I am looking to start in the Indianapolis area.