And I used to ask this type of questions when I was a newbie and the truth is, no one can tell you anything and you just have to make that decision yourself based on your current situation, your short term and long term goal. 

You find the person who makes decisions bout the property and ask "what are your plans for the house?" 

And the number of nuanced decisions that need to be made in order to have a well-executed design simply cannot be fully covered prior to demo, and often even after demo, especially if you are talking renovations.

Is this a smart decision too?  

I want to learn as much as I can about deals before we pull the trigger on something, so we make the best decision.  

Definitely an easy decision when you dont have to worry about loosing 4-6% off the top in realtor fees!

You need to manage your property manager, work with them on strategy, market analysis, long term capex decisions etc.

This would be an easy decision however I do not think you can come close even with you being active in the process.  

Increasingly it’s the inexperienced investors who are making these decisions, often on their first investment.

I'm at the very early stages of my decision making process but wanted to explore some options regarding location and decide whether or not the USDA loan route would be the best way to go.