All Forum Posts by: Cindy Sawyer

@Marcus Auerbach- I have to say I don't entirely agree.  I've been investing in the Midwest from the west coast since 2017.  I have high quality tradespeople who do work at low cost.  My tenants are high quality.  When I need a contractor, I have my real estate agent bring in a contractor she's worked with before and trusts.  They can be more expensive but it's not always the best idea to get the cheapest contractor.  

Maybe I say this because I'm lucky to have partnered with an agent who is trustworthy.  There are certainly agents out there who only want to earn a transaction and do not want to build a business relationship.  My agent has brought forth several connections that have been valuable over the years.  I've bought several properties through her sight unseen.  

The advantage of investing remotely is that it creates far less of a time commitment on my part.  I can still work my W-2 and don't have to go out visiting several properties.  Rather, my agent checks out the property, provides about 40 pictures, and a rehab cost estimate.  I then make an offer based upon the data I have.  

I do agree with you that OOS investing only makes sense if you live in an expensive area and are investing in a much less expensive area.  If you buy a $1MM property in your expensive local market and something goes seriously wrong with it, that's a much bigger deal that something going wrong with a $150k property OOS.  And buying in good neighborhoods OOS is important as well.