Do things break more frequently when the owner lives further away?

These areas used to be choice locations back in the day and if history repeats..well you know.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT, get a foundation company to inspect the property because they are in the business of selling piers and will always recommend foundation work. 

These folks have this type of conversation frequently and could probably give you some specific suggestions.Mike 

A bit riskier would be to speed this up -- buy with 20% down, rehab with the cash, refinance to get your cash back but hold the property and rent, lather, rinse, repeat.  

I was aware of and frequently use CMHC but have not heard of or used PadMapper.

As you can see by my post, I haven't been around BP in a while.That is a mistake you will likley NOT want to repeat.

If the foundation repair went over budget 10-20k "which I hear they do quite frequently" is a 20k profit worth the time / risk or is there other "Low Hanging Fruit" you could invest in for the same return?

Rinse and repeat.

I try to schedule at least 5-7 showings in a day unless I am going to be in the area, because half of them end up being no show.As far as not understanding the names is concerned, just ask them to repeat their names.Good luck!