On another note, a Trust is an estate planning tool, nothing more.

Lastly, I don't know what your long term plans are, but having a house to return to in the States if your international adventures don't work as planned can be a good safety net for you!

What tools or platforms do you find most effective for tracking payments and amortization schedules?

I would also say that markets like Manhattan are not super representative of most markets in the US - a lot of foreign investment I'd imagine in NYC, Miami etc - I'd guess a lot of these cash purchases are more about exchanging unstable or risky foreign assets/currencies for perceived stability/safety of US top metro residential real estateI think in a lot of other markets where this isn't relevant - I think most are cash offers being "king" as not having appraisal or other contingencies that might sabotage the sale after 30 days or so and make people re-list (sellers will take less to avoid this risk and downside)

BP has various tools to help you analyze your deals (rentals, flips, wholesale, etc). : https://www.biggerpockets.com/investment-calculators7.

It is a great estate planning tool.

What are your favorite tools and platforms for finding investment opportunities? 

Finding the true appreciation rate for specific towns can be a bit tricky, but you can start by looking at historical sales data, talking to local realtors, or even checking out some online tools that track market trends.If the condos you’re eyeing aren’t meeting the 2% rule, it might be worth reconsidering or at least getting a more detailed breakdown of potential long-term appreciation and other benefits, like tax advantages or rental demand growth in the area.

Over the last couple of years, many DSCR lenders have embraced and adapted to financing short-term rentals, including using data-driven tools like AirDNA to qualify rents on short-term rental properties, but there is yet to be a similar tool for medium-term rentals.

With the right tools and a bit of hands-on management, you could effectively manage the property yourself and cater to this steady stream of potential tenants.