If you're going to invest long distance, I'd stay within the borders as it's probably not worth the headaches you'll face.  I

The dilemma I face is that I look at the clock all day and wake up dreading work every morning.Real estate and investing has attracted me since I saw my mother loose her 100+ year old house in Massachusetts to a bank foreclosure.

I am in the midst of forming a JV to do my first deal, with people I've not met face to face. I

Ola Dantis thanks, but I do not even wish to talk to him over the phone no to mention meet face to face. Is

@Evan Wiesner  not sure what you meant but a loan on its face is a security instrument recorded against the property there are no HML just giving money out with no security interest. and some are mom and pop but most these days are as big or bigger than your company. 

The problem many face is being out bid by a few entrenched players which dominate local auctions, or others willing to pay too much.

Wouldn't it be prudent to have all of your subject to/lease purchase deals run by a local Real Estate Attorney, and if the paperwork is signed by all interested parties, then the only thing you could face is a lawsuit if you didn't follow through on any of the conditions set by those documents.

Real estate alone on its face is generally considered less risky than stocks when we are talking pure riak premiums.real eatate however is commonly purchased with leverage, and leverage by definition increases your risk whether its on real estate or stocks. 

@Jake Cooper,One of the biggest challenges you're going to face is finding the right properties. 

One of the challenges you're going to face is not controlling property and asking contractors to walk the property & give you an estimate.