I've bought through auction.com for trustee sales in NC, and on some property had no opportunity to perform property inspections or 'complete' due diligence like you would on an MLS listed property.

Biggest thing I learned on my first: play hardball, pay less or walk away, always inspect the property yourself (if possible) or get a second opinion, choose a good realtor.

If you are new to REI and absolutely cannot visit the market (huge mistake in my opinion) then at least hire a local investor to be present at the inspection and give you their opinion.  

learning about permits... when do I need one, what is structural, what needs to be inspected and what doesn't, when I can pull my own, when the county will require me to hire a general or other licensed professional for the permit, etc. 

FYI, after construction is finished, I turn the loans into permanent residential loans that are sold off to Fannie/Freedie at 75% LTV (loan to value), which pays off the construction loan.My local bank (I dont even bother dealing with the big banks) is 1 point origination fee, $500 inspection fee (to release progress payments) at variable interest rate that right now is 4.25%.I would suggest calling some local banks on the phone to see which ones would do that loans, then going down and talking with them.  

I have not implemented any such policy, but am interested as I grow, whether tenant analytics to manage the business is legal.If a landlord has meticulous records, you can also record the total maintenance cost per apartment (logging all calls, rent payment dates, etc).  

Inspect all of your fixtures before you decided to dance with the utility company.Most municipal water supplies will be somewhere between 40 and 80 psi.  

Even normal inspections don't uncover these issues. 

If I decide to go for it, do I make the offer with an inspection contingency to have some thorough searches on the property?

That is usually the minimum the banks require for flow rate during a home inspection.