Then at the last minute, I had a strong instinct to pull out and did not follow through.

I am as strongly opposed to the leverage-forever notion as I am the no-leverage-ever notion, both make no sense what so ever. 

It’s too much to explain, just not worth it… Invest in America, vacation/live in Europe…While Europe might not have worked for some, it offers incredible opportunities depending on the market and strategy.As someone living in Europe, specifically the Netherlands, I’ve found house flipping here to be a strong investment avenue, especially with the high demand for housing.

If not, then you really need a strong legal structure stating how these properties will be governed going forward, including management, tenant selection, capital expenses, etc.

Strong regional/PE owned tenants.

Focus on finding a replacement with strong tenant screening processes and performance guarantees.

Some cities like Longview seem pretty strong, but other cities are dying. 

Diversity is great, but the fundamentals for real property are too strong in my opinion. 

I have no particular area that I'd like to start with or focus on, but probably prefer somewhere in the south of the US due to my strong aversion of winter.

If you can make some relationships prior to that with agents in the area who do what you want to, you can find yourself on a team or at a strong brokerage that matches what you want to do.