@Michael Chase  Having someone on the ground taking pics and getting things done on your behalf; should you choose to purchase & flip properties out of state and you haven't physically seen it is one thing, its ok, as many investors do it successfully. yet its another thing to make it a habit to put blind contracts all over the place, in your backyard and out of town without getting viewings, pic or videos o f the subject property.

I did buy my mom's house after my dad died and rented it back to her, but the purpose was to take care of my mom, to help her stay in her own home as long as she was physically able.

As I start buying more properties this will def be something that I will want to incorporate some sort of a system with...

Instead of focusing on the physical property your focus is the loan, which upon purchase may or may not be performing (meaning the homeowner may or may not be making payments).

Lots of physical distress from an estate.  

.+ Your money isn't tied up in a physical building. 

Not only is a Property Manager often responsible for managing the physical asset and accounting but also tenant management- which can prove to be the most daunting of all tasks.

Your CPA can probably tell you why to incorporate instead of using an LLC for tax reasons.

I have all the ideas for how i would like to incorporate the outside of the house to keep it looking uniform with the existing rowhouses.

It's not always physical condition that makes these the "dregs".