There were lease violations disrespecting the other neighbor's leased space and harassing the other neighbor and they smoked in the property against lease, lied about conversations, has made up stories about plumbing issues that plumbers couldn't find causes to, tried to get a dehumidifier and force me to pay, accused me on two different occasions very agressively in regards to the heat/electric service.

Things just require more ongoing expenses percentage wise out of state because you have to pay people to do everything for you and you will have a longer time building relationships with vendors even when getting decent referrals. 

On the other hand, I’m hesitant to simply pay down more of a property, as we don’t need the immediate cash flow.Fortunately, both my wife’s job and mine are recession-proof, which allows us to be a bit more aggressive with our investments.I’d really appreciate advice from investors who have experience with frequent moves or military service.

It was held by the previous owner for a very long time, so I wouldn't be surprised if some basic facts about the house are incorrect.I was making an offer on a house a couple years ago and discovered that the owner was paying taxes on an additional house that was on the neighbors lot and didn't know it!

And particularly one that pays but a fraction of their real job. 

Suggesting to them buying their house for a wholesale range offer or lower dependent on the extent of the rehab, then having a contract in place that gives them a percentage of the profit to help get them back on their feet, paying off debts etc.

@Chinku Chinku how is paying the loan balance down going to help you reach your goals?

The prices in the markets we looked at i.e. troy, Schenectady and Albany all had great prices and rents were inline but kept coming back to "what if the tenant doesn't pay". 

My goal is to offer an affordable monthly payment that competes with renting a comparable property and offers a benefit to paying a bit more to "own". 

Quote from @Sarp Ka: Quote from @Patrick Roberts: Am I understanding this correctly that youre expecting to get a $700k property for $500k because youre paying cash?