If you cannot physically walk it, progress photos at the end of every week will help you know where the project progress is, and the GC knowing that your either going to show up or knowing the need to "prove it" at the end of every week should help keep them on track. 

Musk’s home-selling saga actually started in May, when the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted that he planned to sell almost all physical possessions, including his handful of L.A. homes.

Can I leave one side of the duplex empty for me, and change my official address to it as well... without physically being there very much?

It would be great to connect with other like minded people who may be interested in joining me at a local Denver rock gym or climbing spot to get some exercise and talk real estate.Please reply or send me a direct message if interested. 

Maybe go old school and just post a physical flier?

For management, most wisdom I've received over time has been along the following lines:Multifamily: Higher income potential, higher wear and tear/issuesStorage: Lower income potential, lower wear and tear/issuesThis makes sense when you think of the physicality of both asset types and how they're being utilized by their tenants.Of course, "higher" vs "lower" income is all relative, and totally depends on the market and the specifics.

For example, if one of the prior landlord references were to mention an applicant's family member was physically disabled and then, for that reason alone, you decided not to rent to them because you didn't want to potentially have modify your property to accommodate the disability. 

Seems like a simple exercise, but I suspect you will find it enlightening. 

Or are there other ways of accurately assessing an area without physically being there?

When you have city officials who cater to 300 to 500 wackos and let them run amuk then blame trump LOL.. its just insane here.But back to CA.. there is no state as diverse both in the people and the opportunities and the just plain insane amount of physical beauty etc.Many states have cool mtns like the Sierras and Trinity Alps.