If you have a steady stream of tenants etc who would need to visit your office the last thing you probably want them doing is showing up at your house. 

I go and visit the cities and check out what they're doing in that city and how long they've been doing it.

Family there on a regular basis can visit with her there .

That way investors wouldn't have to visit tons of properties and I could charge a fee for it.I figured this would serve two purposes, 1) I could make some money while Im already going through neighborhoods, and 2) it could be a good source of leads that other investors pass on.Are there companies that offer these types of services, how much do they charge etc?

For each line-item, you can get an idea of the material cost by visiting your local big box store, building supply shop, online retailer or talking to other investors. 

This post is what we can all learn from their visit...maybe a couple of take aways.They’ve bought 12 houses here in town and while it’s been a great long-distance relationship, we always enjoy meeting people face to face, shaking hands, and visiting rental houses together.

Top Questions to Ask Before You Hire A Management CompanyOnce you have it narrowed down to 2 or 3, set up a time to visit the offices.

Prepare specific questions, visit with them on the job, evaluate their evergy, attitude and communication level, and decide if you feel comfortable.I'm not sure in your state, but most licensed contractors pay their own taxes.

Off topic, but thought it funny that you might have a temporary assignment out of the area, while we might be temporarily moving to RI (Newport, although my brother's family lived in Narraganset until 4 years ago so visited there frequently) for about a year for my husband's work.

But I am going to be on them like white on rice - basically get double the rent in security deposit or get co-signatures from a parent or two, and visit three times a year.