Residential investing is not rocket science, knowledge is not the issue: there are many good books out there that walk you through every detail you need to know.

Are they really willing to sell and walk away with zero dollars up front?

If you really want to dig deep, pretend to be a renter and schedule a walk-through.

If the deal goes south and you have next to zero money in the deal, selling a short sale or walking isn't as risky for you since you aren't losing much.

Nothing worse than walking up the front of the house and having a broken up concrete walkway.

For those interested, a combination of mortgages with no “due on sale” clause, mortgage companies loose due diligence, and title insurers willingness to “turn a blind eye” to practices that wouldn’t pass scrutiny now, resulted in tactics like the “second mortgage crank” which not only allowed investors to purchase properties with no money out of pocket but allowed investors to actually walk away from closing with “cash in their pocket”.

Target ReturnsWhile target returns are crucial, these should be discussed only with investors—not brokers or others helping you find deals.Sample Investment CriteriaHere’s an example of well-defined CCC:Location: Primary and secondary cities in the Southeast with population growth.Type & Class: Class C garden-style or walk-up workforce housing with repositioning opportunities.Age: 1980s construction or newer (case-by-case for older).Price: $5M–$12M, requiring $1.5M–$3M in funds.Size: 100+ units.Cap Rates: Market rates.Roof Type: Pitched roofs preferred.Value-Add: Opportunities for improvements or better management.Why This MattersBy creating crystal clear criteria, you:Avoid wasting time on deals that don’t align with your goals.Build trust with brokers and partners by demonstrating a focused investment strategy.Increase your chances of finding deals that meet your financial and operational objectives.I'll be posting each chapter as I go through them so you can follow along from my notes and we can discuss different strategies.

Quote from @Gregory Chadwell: I've sold properties to out of state buyers using facetime and walking through and discussing the property pro's and con's.   

If you don't get access to the property before closing it can be tricky but if there are recent photos online or you can walk through before and take your own then it is much easier.

/Have you been inside the property and walked it to do a full estimate of costs?