If your property management company is good and has built an internal maintenance team which has set rates and had strong relationship relationships with licensed contractor which should keep costs in control, you should never need to shop contractors on your own I wouldn't think.So in short, our policy is give us your preferred contractors upfront if you have them, but then we work all tickets to resolution including dispatch, and payment of invoices.This is of course for operational expenses.  

We have built a few custom homes, however new construction residential isn’t our primary source of revenue.

In the first you have one tenant, 2500/mo revenue and higher costs.

Yes you can use commission as sourced funds for down payment on a conventional loan.However some lenders have internal overlays that don't allow it.

A good gauge of performance for a full time rental is roughly 10% of valuation (A $1M home should generate $100K+ in gross revenue.) 

When it comes to real estate, here's a general list of eligible assets and their depreciable lifespans that you should know: Residential Rental Property = 27.5 yearsThis includes any building or structure where 80% or more of its gross rental income is from residential units.That means:- Apartment buildings- Single-family rental homes- Duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes- Mobile homes (used for residential rental)- Any kind of residential lodging facility where the primary purpose is long-term rentalCommercial Property = 39 yearsThis includes non-residential properties like:-Office buildings-Retail stores and shopping centers-Warehouses-Industrial complexes-Hotels and motels that do not qualify as residential rental propertyLand Improvements = 15 yearsThese include sidewalks, roads, fencing, some landscaping, and parking lots that are separate from the building.Personal Property = 5 or 7 yearsPersonal property used in a rental activity usually has a 5 or 7-year life.This includes most furniture, appliances, carpeting and various machinery.Qualified Improvement Property (QIP) = 15 yearsGenerally, this includes any improvements made to the interior of a non-residential building after the building was placed in service, excluding elevators, enlargements, and the internal structural framework.Computers and Related Peripheral Equipment = 5 yearsVehicles = 5 yearsNote that the land itself is not depreciable.

Do you run the numbers yourself, do you have an internal CFO, or do you work with a fractional party CFO?

So, yes, you can absolutely have a great rental business as an out of state ( and even international ) investor, as long as you have a solid team that are your boots on the ground. 

It's a good time to review markets, but living in China there are a lot of other closer, international markets that could be options as well.

I'm of the opinion that a property that cannot create $15-20k+ per year in rental revenue is going to struggle keeping up with maintenance and repairs.