I strongly suggest you hop on a plane and go see the property before making an offer.
Excellent advice.
And it’s a sad fact of life, that every city has its bad neighborhoods. There are some fine older homes located in bad neighborhoods. Every one of us here, can tell us where the bad neighborhoods in their own hometowns are located.
It all comes back to location, location, and location.
Excellent advice. Buying a house sight unseen is never a good idea.
Also for me, the neighborhood is just as important as the house. Before putting down an offer, I like to drive around the entire neighborhood to get a lay of the land. Then make sure you drive by there on a Friday or Saturday night.
Years ago, I thought I had a great bargain on a house in a Boston suburb by a train station but driving by on a hot summer Saturday night, the strip mall a few blocks away featured a very "rough" crowd that was noisy and boisterous. I also saw some "police activity" about a block away with what looked like a domestic disturbance in progress. Shirtless young males were sitting out on their front steps playing loud music and sipping out of solo cups. What looked like a decent neighborhood by day got very "sketchy" after dark."
Now I understood why the house was such a deal, the currant occupants were probably desperate to get out of there.
Saved me a lot of hassle, I'm sure.
#2 Plus he should take a canoe ride with his 3 buddies to find out about the locals... also bring a guitar, never know when you might find someone with a banjo to play with.