Also, statistically speaking, lower-income housing can have higher vacancy and higher turn costs due to damage and evictions. 

We have a cooperative occupant who will most likely not cause any damage to the property and they get certainty of outcome and cash.

Insurance will pay for the damage if it fails.

One tenant decides not to pay can eat up 2-3 months worth of lost rent, plus court costs, plus damages, plus time vacant while you make repairs. 

Any fellow members know at which stage a foreign buyer must be physically present in the US so as to complete the closing?  

This obviously eliminates the need to be physically in the US and can take a lot of the "busy work" off your plate when looking for a passive investment opportunity.

The landlord would then pay for the cost of the hotel.I don't see compensable damages here.  

I don’t know the eviction laws in SC but if the owner went through court proceedings and has a judgement against the tenant, then they can have them physically removed by the Sherriff’s department.

If the friend's unit is not your rental unit, there is nothing you can do, other than be happy that you now know where to serve the evicted man if you plan to sue him in small claims court for your damages (assuming that he has wages to garnish, or assets to attach). 

I guess I understand the theory behind this concept, but I'm not sure how to physically put the plan into action.