Why not just print out a dozen bank deposit slips for each of your tenants, and tell them to find the nearest branch of your bank (hopefully you have a bank that has a lot of branches) and make a deposit. 

Upgrading the mechanicals, finishing a basement, installing granite countertops, there are dozens of ways to spend thousands of dollars improving a house.

Although my property appraised at a certain amount, my assessed value changed every year when I still owned a SFR. 

Using this methodology, Davis and Palumbo calculated land values for 46 U.S. metro areas, which can be found at the website for the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy.[15]When I was looking at a lot of property tax records in Southern California in 1990, I noticed the hottest markets started at 50% land value for assessed valuation and ranging up to 80% land value.  

When you have no money skin in the deal, you need to fairly assess the value of your skills and what you do bring to the table. 

I've sent in dozens of offers on homes not selling and there's a reason they aren't selling.

Property tax for last year is lower (around $1900/year for both sides), and seller doesn't have any exemptions, but tax was much higher on previous year (doubled assessed value), so not sure if it will be raised back again.  

All strategies and projected returns must be adjusted for risk and your ability as an investor to assess, control, mitigate, and/or hedge those risks, and a newbie real estate investor's ability to do that out of state is greatly reduced ... you may not agree with me, and that's fine, but me candidly pointing out those risks and my personal experience with them does not make me a fear monger.

As we have a major hurricane Matthew coming to the east coast, with possible landfall close to us...I have done my best in the last two days, shutters, putting away potential projectiles etc...One question for those in the insurance industry, in case there are major damages, like tree branches crashing through a window, or fence down blocking walkways, roof damages, etc...items you MUST repair ASAP for tenants to secure the living quarters from further damages.How do you handle the insurance claims for damages you must go ahead and get taken care of, because you can't wait till the insurance companies to assign an adjuster to come say 10 days later to make an assessment and estimate? 

Steve:We have one of the Tesla 3's on order, however, diagonally over here on the other side of the continent, there is little to modest infrastructure in-place to support EVs and Tesla has almost no presence with fewer than half-a-dozen SuperChargers in the region.