China is natural resource poor and dependent on the rest of the world to fill that void, and with cheap labor drying up they will lose some ground on the manufacturing side. 

The minimum time that lenders like to see you living in a primary residence is at least 12 months (although there are exceptions to this rule on the grounds of “life altering events”). 

Investing remotely is totally doable—you just need a solid team on the ground.

Chick Fil A's are often ground leases where rent is heavily below market.

I also offer boots-on-the-ground services to others who need a local team member.

Often, those advantages are boots on the ground and market knowledge, which are the two things you have/are working on.I think, in general, you will find all those central Illinois areas provide decent cash flow with low appreciation - generally speaking. 

Mainly my realtor as my boots on the ground checking the job done by the contractor, and my contractor who was doing the work.

Asking your agent (or other on-the-ground person) to look at the property and take pictures in your place? 

You need to build a competent team on the ground who know how to work with the tenants in the area. 

bump this up to 4 units no reason to only build 2. you could go vertical on top of this 2 more. switch to asphalt. save every penny you can where you can. we build triplexes in columbus ohio ground up and similar structure. mostly urban core where the numbers are the best