Under contract on a distant 4 unit sight unseen, how to handle the walkthrough
Take a small 4-unit found through a text campaign in a market the buyer has never visited. Two units occupied, two vacant, seller says the vacants need paint and one needs a tub surround, asking 185,000. Value looks like 235,000 to 250,000 based on online listings, though in a non-disclosure state that is really asking prices rather than confirmed sale data, and the rent roll is a photographed piece of paper showing rents of 725 and 760 on the occupied units. A common structure here is to get the property under contract with a 14 day inspection window and line up an assignment, with two buyers in that metro having expressed informal interest under 200k, understanding that informal interest is not a commitment. On the walkthrough itself, the real options are flying out in person, hiring a local inspector for a modest flat fee, or finding a contractor to walk it with video for a smaller cost still. Anyone who owns property personally knows how much a listing photo hides, which argues for at least a paid local set of eyes rather than relying on the seller's description. Access logistics also need to be settled explicitly, since leaving it to the seller to arrange without a clear plan tends to read as disorganized rather than efficient.
