The indoor malls that simply offered shopping and a food court are the ones dying off.I've seen some malls be demolished and replaced with high-density single family developments. 

Over the course of a weekend—and fueled by beer, food, and sledgehammers—we completely cleared out the space.

One thing to add is that when you buy a new build, your PITI will likely not be factoring in the correct state tax number.

Having lived there a year it is a foreign country and many things are different and culture etc plus you have the native peoples that own huge amounts of real estate and They dont pay income tax and they get food and gas for way cheaper etc etc..

Andrew is correct that you can get a multi family property w/ 3.5% down FHA.

It’s fun in a new country learning the way things are, the food and plants and especially the artistry.  

I like starting small so maybe a food truck in 10 or so years :)I'm currently looking for investors to do what you did except focusing on commercial residential property in Kansas City.

Do it right, hire the right people, and make sure you have all of your permits correctly pulled.

You are correct… if a person has 600k and they can afford to risk it going alone in a new country and that’s what they want to do with the money then why not go it alone.

Just food for thought- It's not always in your best interest to provide all of the materials, negotiate too hard, refuse to pay a deposit, etc.