@Danny Ondik people throw around a "rule of thumb" as if it's a basic law of physics that can't be altered.

@Clayton CrawfordIn the age of the internet, digital photography, and Google Maps, I'm not even sure why you would need to physically look at 50-100 properties that "don't meet your criteria."

The buyers FaceTimed from Germany with their relator and submitted their offer without physically visiting the property.

Everything is functional but some items older ("near the end of their physical life expectancy") but working.

Whether or not you're happy really depends on where you are mentally and not where you are physically though.

i havent done alot of this sort of research, BUT i have found if you contact the tax collector in each county they can tell you over the phone all info about the offering. also many tax collector have a site called a parcel veiwer where u can put in either the appraisers parcel # ( apn) or the "situs" address (actual physical address) these are usually free or pretty low cost also theres an app landglide thats really good and pretty inexpensive. hope it helps best of luck.

@Renee HarrisThose forms your interested in (Petition for Probate, Letters of Administration/Testamentary, Order for Probate, etc,.) your going to have to physically go to the county courthouse (where the probate file your interested in) to view.

Consider that I'll be in SF and won't physically be able to check in on the property (maybe once every 3-4 months).

It might be the best place for cash flow that you can physically drive to, but I'd say that its definitely not the best place in the country for ROI on your money right now. 

Like physically transporting it to another location?