I am a tax attorney and i still am confused, and I am willing to bet that most people will be putting it on schedul e, not paying se tax, not calling it passive, and deducting losses against w2 income, and playing roulette with audits.  

Local banks who don't re-sell these are typically your best bet, they like relationships.  

The best bet for that would be getting an awesome property manager that does basically everything aside from supplying the financing for the home. 

., monitor their log-in time, deliver progress reports, etc) cold callers for you?

In any case, investing ahead of a path of progress is one of the tried and true recipe for investing in real estate profitably.

I really see Columbus Ohio as an extremely safe bet for the next 10-20 years.

Just a wild guess but I'm betting you don't want to operate a church. https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5709.07(A) The following property shall be exempt from taxation: (3) Real property owned and operated by a church that is used primarily for church retreats or church camping, and that is not used as a permanent residence.

I'll let you know of any progress.

I bet dollars to bagels you won't share your work on public forums for free.You need a better source of news than the Chicago Tribune. 

I’d make a bet that a huge percentage of investors on BiggerPockets ROI on their rentals was significantly lower during these years.