It will help you gain more confidence and network and allow you to source deals for yourself and others.

She stays on the property maybe 2 or 3 times a year when not traveling out of the country.

If this tenant can't afford the $100 increase, I will have to travel back and spend the time and money getting the house ready for a new tenant (paint, carpets, etc) , not to mention decide whether I will hire a company to deal with the rental and the new tenant, which could mean 10% of monthly rent or I will have to deal with it long distance myself and hope for the best. 

Since you are living there, it should be much easier to set up showings rather than a traditional rental traveling to the property.The biggest mistake I have made, and seen other makes, is loosening their guidelines after a few weeks/months of vacancy because they have simply had enough. 

This makes a lot of sense to me and gives me more confidence as to seeing a path to move forward with.

The presale inspection is so that people have a much better idea of the condition of the house so they can be more confident in their bidding, that they are getting a certain quality.

You putting in $30K-$45K at year's end on a deal, with cash that you have accumulated with sacrifice, sweat, and discipline, is a huge vote of confidence to many prospective partners, and will make you very attractive. 

I travel a lot so considering a multifamily by somewhere I already travel and being able to stay in it.

It helps you find reliable property management partnerships by giving you everything you need to make confident hiring decisions.

Working with investors is a new undertaking for me but I am confident that I can perform to the best of my ability for my clients.