If you have a cash offer that will go a long way as well (even if its hard money...cash is cash)ALWAYS ask for an interior BPO and be sure that YOU are the point of contact.

It happens all the time.Our local airport, the Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) is no where near Harrisburg, the capital city of PA - it is in Middletown, PA.

From an international perspective the USA seems to be an investment chance of a lifetime at present.I have around $US 300,000 to invest hoping to buy 3-5 houses.Thanks for info Will B , Jeff S :D

Thanks Jon,But let me go into more detail before I get to far. the property "was" worth about $115k. the 30% loan has a balance of $20'ish but will sell it to me for $4k cash. right now... but I can't get a reply from the bank that owns the "rest of the house" I know it's "upsidedown" right now. it should sell for about $80k but it's on an acre close to the airport in Houston and I can get a good rent price from it....I contract to an Oil Co. international and a 2 bedroom close to the air port will have a lot of potential for me.

But it was just some person there who wanted interior pictures and were out of there in 5 minutes.

But I'd start at 70% of ARV and subtract 20k (subject to interior inspection) and see what they say.

I also wouldnt mind interning in NYC or Chicago.

To answer your original question, I think the key is not the type of repair needed, but having the right contacts to have it fixed cheaply -a really affordable handyman can make a place's interior look great without costing a lot.

You may want to start with just removing the interior trim to see if you can get away without removing the exterior trim.

I even used to write a column called "Culture Matters" which gave businesses tips for working with internationals .