I can recommend a few books depending on the strategy of your choice.

@Brian Leady Awesome story, there's never a bad time to get started.

Just like any city, there are good and bad areas and you'll probably want to stay out of some of the worse areas for you and your family.

I ended up going with someone else because of it.A quality lender simply would not do that.. if you got a bad feeling then that's fine too its your deal your choice  = 

Now that I have moved away, I am renting it out to a single family and it is non cash flowing and honestly was a bad deal to begin with all round.

He wasn’t my first choice, but a “convenient” situation caused me to select him.

@Brunno Goncalves I would say I am sorry to hear about your damage and that you hope they are able to find the responsible person for this damage but unfortunately since you were not there you have no way of knowing who may have caused this.If you really feel generous or bad about this damage you could say that "If you can't find the guilty party you would be willing to chip in on the cost of their deductible" That way they claim it on their insurance instead of trying to sue you.

What are your reasons for thinking it's a good idea or a bad idea?

The area is not bad but also not great (rural town).

I also have the option to partner (silent) in with someone who is willing to invest up to $100k for 50% of the deal which will basically just buy me the property, but i'd still have to come out of pocket for the reno.Not sure if either sound appealing and wondering if anyone has a recommendation which might be the better choice if any at all.Many thanks