Anyone recommend if it's smart/wise to start my real estate empire overseas, aka buying remotely without physically being there in person? 

Well considering you'd have to pay me to live in many parts of the Inland Empire (particularly the areas I'd imagine you'd find such a deal), I can see how that is still too much to be worth it for a live in situation.

I'm not trying to build a landlording empire.

I'm liking for a source for that has the empirical research data on cities.

I am currently living in Lake City, right in the middle of your empire.

So if your plan was to use the SD IRA money to start your RE empire, you may want to rethink using qualified funds. 

So I currently own two duplexes. One I house hack with my VA loan the other is rented and generates about $500 positive cash flow. I have about $50k in equity in the house I live in and am thinking about refinancing m...

So I’m not really worried about living quarters at the moment, just want to build an empire (so to say), something that I can work at for the rest of my life making money and managing everything without worrying that my boss will call me into work tomorrow.

After reading many, many post on here, along with blogs etc...Before I ever joined BP I had a business plan that I put together (you can find it here http://www.biggerpockets.com/files “Rental Empire”), and I came up with this plan before I even seen or heard of how these guys on BP were growing their portfolio so fast...Once I got on BP it was like the Heavens opened up!

The prices in SoCal are definitely high so out of state and the Inland Empire would most likely be the options that I will begin with.