In my case the lender did a drive by appraisal so the effort you invest to fix things up to get the biggest loan may not be fruitful.

I've known him for ages, and he is not interested in the real estate.

;<))The price is completely dependent on income and adjust for age or lack of maintenance and deferred CAPEX.

Having this said, I understand there are no guarantees in life but:Is there any tips and tricks to make sure your investment is fruitful? 

Spend some of it and enjoy the fruits of your labor.Hope I didn't cloud the decision even more.

you can see the mechanicals in the basement.. an investors should be able to walk this with a decent agent and in 30 minutes or less note if there are any Major red flags.. you can buy one of those things you plug into the receptacles to see if power is working.. you turn the hot water on.. you run the heater.. check for age.. 

Offer to sit open houses for agents with several listings and try to pick up buyer leads.

Federal laws and many state laws apply to real estate advertising for agents/brokers.

I just opened a brokerage and am looking for agents like yourself. 

Looking for agent recommendations for a family member who is looking to buy a house in the south east part of Phoenix.