If you're an out of state buyer get reviews, verify comps, verify condition, or.... just spend the $500 on a plane ticket to get your eyes on it.

No return flight yet planned - been on an R&R tour but also with a side goal of learning what I can about RE opportunities or other business opportunities. 

Unless there was an abnormal amount of damage or big ticket items had to be replaced, you're better off moving onto the next tenant.

@Carlos Enriquez That is what I am trying to find out is how reliable these warranties are for replacement of the major ticket items, again my experience has only been with smaller routine repair issues.I would be interested in what company you used if you don't mind sharing.  

Seemed impossible to a man who brought his 4 children with just $400 cash and a $5000 debt to the Lutheran Church for the flight to the US.

@Eunice KimThe only way to know whether or not your tax returns/earnings will play a factor in qualifying for a loan is to call a couple lenders up and see if you qualify.Just call up a couple lenders today - it shouldn't take too long.If you are interested in doing a deal with an investor across the country - go spend the $500 for an airline ticket and meet with him in person and see if hes the real deal.If you are thinking of investing close to $150,000 - you owe it to yourself to spend $500 on an airline ticket to see him.

It becomes easier to justify the travel expense (ballpark $2K as your total after flights, hotel, food, rental car, etc.) when you're checking in on 3 properties instead of 1 but I'd still say it's somewhere between "prudent" and "necessary".If it's not valuable enough to you to check-in on and visit pre-purpose, why own it?

But snowballing equity while keeping the properties is a huge golden ticket for investing.

So I had an idea that of the money you get from a rental property (the expenses such as repairs, vacancy, taxes and CG) since you dont want to spend this and save for big ticket items in the future, where does people put that money?

I'm taking this as a learning experience and grateful it's not a big-ticket event.