I live, work, and play in downtown San Antonio and i'm extremely familiar with all the action that is going on in my backyard.Id be happy to meet with you when you come down @Chris Hutchens and anyone else that is looking to acquire additional market knowledge in the San Antonio area.

Would you suggest hiring a company like Healthtrust to do the feasibility research for us or is there a less expensive option?

These are professionals with additional training and a stricter code of ethics.

Thank you for all your suggestions - I have learned a lot from this forum and all the advice has been invaluable in me having the confidence to remotely buy and self manage my properties thus far. 

They support only Pro members on phone, which doesn't make any sense.Any suggestions? 

Once your income exceeds this limit, you no longer pay Social Security tax on additional income.

However, if the property is tenant-occupied, accessing it for renovations might prove difficult.If your intention is to purchase a distressed property for value addition, I would caution against acquiring properties with existing tenants, as this can pose challenges in the renovation process.

Are there any other ideas you can suggest?

I suggest learning about long distance investing, building your core 4, and looking into markets that are forecasting appreciation. https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-team

Additionally, what are the typical maintenance costs for these machines?