Call for his contact information.An inspector can be your best asset especially when dealing with out of town properties.Understand the difference between a full inspection and a visual.I often times have the inspector do a quick visual and give me a verbal reportWhen you a investing remotely (thousands of miles from your home base), an agent and inspector can be your eyes, feet and ears on that market.You can't know every market in the US, that is why you need to delegate to agents and inspectors.They will give you valuable information that you can use to negotiate a great equity transaction.CharlieBaltimore Maryland 

Go to some Real Estate Investor group meetings here in town.

Some good answers: Moved out of town, inherited a property, massive ____ damage, tenants ran out on me, etc. 

I'm very excited to have found this site and am looking forward to sharing what I learn investing in a college town.

I'd track down the vacant ones- figure out from neighbors how long vacant and maybe what town they moved to.

My wife and I live and own a duplex in a part of town that is growing, easy to find tenants, and has solid market rents.  

Or - invest elsewhere.I ended up investing about an hour outside of the city in a smaller town that has a stable population and am doing a cash flow play instead of property appreciation play.

The building is concrete block and previous owners built on the side of it another "Wooden frame" store front which is "attached".Each unit is being rented out under market value, and decent condition.The property does not have a CO (calling town this week) but is in working condition and fully rented out. which is strange?

Let me know what you have and what area of town it is.

I feel that many of the investors who come from out of town trying to make money by being reeled in with the low housing prices only focus on the war zone areas, and dont know the better sections.