Over time, employment and demographic trends have been the best demand indicators for apartments.

Keep in mind that the lower down you have on a property the higher your interest rates will be, plus you will need to buy insurance for anything lower than 20% and that will hurt your cashflow.Research creative financing methods if you are serious about wanting this property.

I am looking for both employment and investment opportunities in the Knoxville area.

I live in the Boston area, have 2 multi's & have a full time job ( self-employed) .So , Boston to Rhode Island , would be my travel (2 1/4 hours) .....don't mind periodically traveling to keep checking the property, in fact I prefer to do that.

Employers had to demonstrate they had advertised positions locally and in the US in general, before they could make an offer to a foreigner.

Once they get the amount of properties they need we show them the best paydown methods if they want. 

Please see additional considerations below.If you are eligible to set up a self-employed Solo 401k (or have a 401k plan through an employer which accepts rollover contributions and allows for 401k participant loans), another alternative which would avoid taxes and penalties would be to transfer your funds to such a 401k plan and then take a 401k participant loan.  

The rest of my income (about 45k adjusted gross) comes from self employment.

But there's also Direct Mail, Websites (SEO/SEM), Social Media, Wholesalers and dozens of other methods.

That is the preferred method.