When you choose a living situation with other people above, below or beside you that share walls, especially an older building, you should not be surprised that you may hear babies cry, toilets flush, alarm clocks, phone calls, etc.

I get things piecemeal here and there, like all of a sudden after 2 years I'm responsible for placing lockbox, surprise!

.- You may be charged back for something that was done months ago (that will catch you completely by surprise when you have no money left at the end of the month and may even owe them);- They also advertise vacant units on rental platforms with weird fees (which you'll find out later when looking for your unit's ad online).

This is my first investment property, I plugged everything into my deal analysis calculator and it seems to be like a good deal but I want to ensure I don't have any surprises. 

I wouldn't be surprised if the previous owner knew this. 

Inspections are good start, but they don't check anything that the inspector cannot see so once you start opening walls, you might be in a big surprised.

So, foreign investors should be aware of their travel patterns and consult a cross-border tax advisor to avoid any surprises.

Second, **flexible terms** and clear communication about rates, fees, and loan-to-value (LTV) ratios are essential to avoid surprises.

RecommendationGiven your goal of minimizing upfront costs while keeping control, here’s how you might proceed:Conduct a Thorough Title Search: Before committing, make sure there are no surprises in the title.

I am in Dallas and find it surprising that any sub market in FTW was declining but that is the reason for the LTV reduction.