Some people invest in different countries, 250 miles is not so bad.

The realtor in me cringes... but the investor in me tells you its not that bad to do it without a realtor as long as you get a deal on the property.

The foundation was so bad that the kitchen seemed to be sliding away.

Dont feel so bad.

Is trying to meet her in the middle in the low $180,000’s a bad idea?

Trust me, it's much easier BEFORE something goes bad in your business.Happy InvestingDerek Dombeck

PCR is nothing more than an idea of whats going on, the service company does them, and many times the contractors are idiots, if you have to turn everything on when purchasing one, to feel comfortable, the deal isnt good enough, it could range from a missing water filter, or several split pipes, to a bad fill valve or cracked toilet tank, if you really need to know, air test it, if you dont know how to do that, you probably shouldnt be looking at these properties. i havent hired an inspector in over 15 years, they are a waste of money for me, but I know construction and systems, the bast thing an investor can do is learn construction and the trades, at least enough to know what you are looking at and whats ok, and whats not, even is you dont do any work. sorry to be harsh, but knowing this stuff separates the men from the boys.

What if the roof just has a few bad spots? 

Bad Agent Tenant OccupiedInside Bad ConditionInside is Messy and Ownet Embarrassed

Contractors sometimes have a lot more on the line, one bad project can put a contractor out of business and ruin years of relationships built to have a solid team.