I screen tenants over the phone as much as possible and I schedule all showings back to back so tenant only needs to clean once.

Other things you can do:Talk to neighbors with similar housing types and ask about foundation issues -- if the houses were built by the same developer sometimes there will be common themes throughout a developmentDetermine the type and age of the foundation.

Are small houses such as that common for where you are looking to buy?

That would be a great way of getting exposed to properties and some common issues that landlords/owners deal with.

Just my 2 cents, but I never let the lowest common denominator chose the path forward.

If it is a really good deal, is there anybody you trust to be there that you can communicate with over the phone everyday.

If your talking about a Chicago property, your lease is subject to LTO, that more or less nullifies both common sense and common real real estate laws outside 606.

That way, you can start getting used to some of the ways your cell phone might lie to you.Good luck to you!

Now when I have a question I can pick up the phone and ask what's the easiest way for me to stay out of trouble if I...As a state-regulated entity I can have as many Virginia clients as I can handle, but only 5 clients in any other state (where I don't have a physical office presence) before I must also register in that other state.

People who share a common goal.