Quote from @John Warren: @Mordechai Chaimovitz cap rates and NOI are commercial real estate terms, and 1-4 units are not really valued in the same way.

The terms remain the same, we still pay the monthly mortgage payment.

Quote from @Reed Rickenbach: John - as long as you are still following strict screening criteria I agree for single family.

The longer term loans would have lowered your monthly payments and decreased the costs.As for rent, each year you need to look at rents in the area to decide how much you will be increasing the rent by. 

I am still trying to figure out my buy box, but long term rentals feels like the right strategy for us.   

I own 20 acres of land valued at approximately $80,000, and I want to build two short-term rental (STR) units on it.For context, my family already owns two long-term rental (LTR) units in the same general area.

Having a long-term rental while living abroad is do-able.Flipping houses while abroad, in my opinion, more difficult, especially if its your first go around with real estate.I would recommend taking a flight and staying in the area for a week and inspect the neighborhoods and make connections.You can reach out to @Elenis Camargo who has a PM company in Jacksonville.Best of luck though.

Not all homes are great long term rentals! 

Start to evaluate deals based on the income approach and you'll do much better long term investing. 

Greg,What type of mentor are you looking for, in terms of where do you need the most help right now?