Having a team in place is much more crucial than accessibility from overseas.

The worst MF is probably the small 5-12 unit space: you have all the disadvantages of MF, without the synergies.

Where are the HVAC controls and do both units have the ability to access it?

fyi, one of my children (also in Indiana) had a very good experience with a VA loan through Veterans United.If you can find a tenant who wants to be rural and have space but doesn't have a down payment or for some other reason doesn't want to buy or can't buy, that person could be an excellent fit for your situation. 

If you need access to the $200,000, you could use a HELOC to temporarily pull equity from the property when good opportunities arise. 

I don't know how to get started as my current property manager is not familiar with the mid term rental space so I am looking to self-manage but not sure how.Any advice is much appreciated.

I don't have access to the MLS to run comps.

I would base your answer on buying the bigger one (within reason) that will fit in your space that fits your budget.  

It includes space to spell out specifically what the tenant is responsible for.

Strategies: maintain the most amount of credit lines possible without use; no late payments, ever; any credit that you do use as a consumer should be small relative to the credit limit of the account; keep your accounts open as long as possible; don't apply for credit unless you really need it to limit hard inquiries; space out any new applications or inquiries as far as possible.