In the 10 years I have rented this property out - i have never used a property management company because it was just one property i planned on owning and I did not see the financial incentive to do so.I have also "read" and "heard" that interest rates are only going up so perhaps now is the time to re-finance but I tend to think that non-owner occupied properties will largely sit at the same rate anyway - right?

The bank may also want to see the property is stabilized, meaning you can document rent from and cash flow for the 2 units for a certain period of time. 

There is a big world of possibilities out there that I think you may be missing by assuming that everyone that doesn't see the investment world as you do is an idiot.

See the blog I wrote on this recently on why I like large apartments which talks about scale and valuation modeling advantages around forced appreciation.  

My inclination would be to become a cash investor but I also see the merits of leveraging.

You might also see the term "Marketable title".

I can see the advantages of controlling a property that way, however, at the end of the day, I am in essence buying the property for the balance of the note.

As you see, the best  we can do is pick off the top of the generalization and not get too specific.

As well as see the current Cash position in one or multiple accounts?

To be honest, I don't see the need of setting up an LLC through an attorney these days.