View it as a business expense like you do the mortgage. 

In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Does any have any experience with that.

At the very least you will want to have some general foundations set because with time you will modify processes and the learnings via experience you gain.

I've looked at it repeatedly because I love the country but have never been able to justify it to myself from an investment point of view.

This has been my experience: "As to the remedy plaintiffs seek, the case law reveals that "the equitable remedy of specific performance is routinely awarded in contract actions involving real property, on the premise that each parcel of real property is unique" (EMF Gen.

You don't need to know everything to get started; you need a foundation to build on, and the rest will come through experience and then refining your education.You can build a basic understanding of investing in 3-6 months.

@Colby Burns  Agreed regarding the PM side with them (A member of my spouses family had a horrible experience with them)  Regarding the construction side, I cannot speak to. 

Has anyone had any experience with this process?

My view is pretty much echoing what you have said.