Do not make a decision based on fear of missing out.Condos and townhomes are generally bad investments because you do not control a large potion of the costs.  

I still think you generally do get more than just cashing checks for the base fee in most cases though.

The BidRoom can bring the price down based on volume and margin of purchase.

Does anyone have any other options that they prefer for a more comprehensive background check?

@Amber StraubYour friend's situation can be divided into several options, each with pros and cons.

This business is heavily based on relationships, so in most cases, the referral you get will be highly biased by the relationship between the realtor/lender and not necessarily what's most objectively reasonable.

But there are companies out there , they operate by quoting extreeeeeeemly high prices , their salesmens commission is based on the profit on the job . 

I lived in Japan for 20 years and was going to start building my USA based portfolio from Japan.

Is he talking about cost based on what the total cost of the property would be over time, or just what the total cost of the property would be to the REI over time? 

@Andres Ruiz everyone wants free software options, but you get what you pay for.Doorloop, Hemlane, Innago, RentRedi, Stessa, Avail, Apartments.com, TenantCloud, TurboTenant, Buildium