Yeah that’s the biggest concern as I’ve begun to discuss with my wife.

Dealing with contractors was our biggest challenge.

Would anyone recommend purchasing a bigger house for a higher purchase price or a biggest house I can get for the cheapest price?

My biggest concern is you actually have a good deal and inconsistent data raises red flags.  

The down side is that flipping has many baked in risks and you have to be a good project manager.

What has been your biggest lesson?

Owning a home that you can’t tangibly visit nor keep an eye on the day to day happenings adds a whole other dynamic to the investment.I think the biggest key to making long distance investments a success is having a rockstar property manager that cares about the property as if it was their own and holds a standard at or above what you as the owner would.

NorthEast and MidWest regions are losing population - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, and West Virginia are the biggest population drainers6.

Biggest thing with this approach is to make sure you're communicating the same scope of work to the different companies so that your bids will be apples to apples.

It is one of my biggest pet peeves when people fail to communicate or stay in touch or follow up.