There's a standard syndication that goes out to sites like Zillow, Redfin etc that is included when it is listed in the MLS; hence why people can find properties from across the country. 

My real estate goals include investing in long-term rentals with the potential for mid-term rentals, leveraging my spouse’s career as an OT in the healthcare industry.

Tenants should pay  utilities - they're consuming those and landlords should 'inspect' what they expect on a quarterly basis and that includes verifying that utilities are current.  

Weigh out all of the pros and cons (including costs) and make the decision that's best for you.These are merely my opinions and may not be the best advice for you.

All-in-all the renovations (including a new patio and new plumbing will cost around $90K).

Penalties of these Federal charges may include:30 years in prisonUp to $1 million in finesThey have a "statute of limitations" - (with a third "T"  ;-) of 10 years from the date of the transaction - 10 years from now, you could get a very nasty call and hopefully, you put your reserve money in a good account that grew to cover legal expenses**********************************************And the universe could blow up as Doc says in Back to the Future " But, granted, that's the worse case scenario." 

We actually CAN'T explain what we are seeing if we are operating on the "purely rational actor" hypothesis (as you implicitly observe), we MUST include highly irrational and emotional individuals to explain what we are seeing.- Investor uncertainty.

Here are additional comments:1) Buying out of state removes any local knowledge you have from assisting in your success, including knowing areas, people and costs. - We always recommend buying your first rental locally if possible and DIY managing to learn as much as possible before investing OOS.2) Lots of crooks and incompetents in the PMC world:( They both cost you money.- As already stated, you'll have a small portfolio.

How many units are you including in the $67,200? 

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.