Thank you in advance and happy holidays to everyone.Denise Most of our out of state investors that work with our team start by evaluating different places and then plan a visit to check out the area.

City regulations require some kind of license for most property that is uninhabited or otherwise out of active use for three months or longer.Of the funds’ rental licenses, about 40 have lapsed and have not been renewed, but that doesn’t appear to be stopping Mendenhall from accommodating rent-paying tenants at at least some of those properties.The Inquirer visited eight properties with lapsed licenses in West and North Philadelphia.

Not that I plan to live in or even visit the US anytime soon, but I don't want to deal with winter-related issues like heating, de-winterizing a home etc. 

Visiting over Xmas with family.  

Go to Dennis Block's FB page and sign up for his webinar Friday at 10:00.   

Setup all business tools like a CRM, MLS access or RE software suites a webpage digital business cards a Facebook business account. 

Quote from @Robert Gunn: I would also be very interested in hearing student or JV experiences with Pete and his program.I stumbled upon him by chance and for fun (I've been investing in land for years) signed up for his "free" course, which he promises after he pitches his $499/mo software system (which is basically an overpriced CRM) and then after the first "Level" in the course, you are directed to a pay page to access the rest of the "free" course.  

Post on local Facebook pages for contractor referrals, go to local REIAs, and ask your potential agents and PMs (even if not using a PM at first...you may at some point).There is only so much that service providers can do and many of them are far from "experts"; so, be prepared to be your own expert at being willing to figure stuff out as you move forward.

If you haven't already check out the gifts Santa has left in the Resources page on Biggerpockets! 

Hi James,I personally don't have enough experience to answer your question, but there is some helpful stuff in a similar discussion here: http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/1779...You will find related discussions to any forum discussion you are reading at the bottom of each forum discussion page, and they can often help you find posts that answer your question.