One of my main goals is to have units and tenants that my wife can manage and safely collect rent or do the inspections on.

I am new to real estate and looking to invest out of my main state of Kentucky.  

There are two main items you have to do. 

As @Jim K. stated to many human elements come into play you cant control.. and its one reason I am so bullish these days on new construction its easier to manage costs and I don't have to compete with all the wanna be wholesalers out there..

It is not particularly close to the main hospital or the university.I do think of it as a pretty stable area that is relatively safe for an investment.

The main reason you'll get the home back invariably in worse shape is you are giving this house to an extremely (extremely) week family.   

There is an element specifically addressing the Qualified Trade or Business definition.Doesn't sound at all auspicious for most rental real estate landlords. 

Deals on the MLS are few and far between, the main reason I've shifted my marketing focus to finding sellers, depending on the property for whether it's an MLS listing lead or a property to present to my buyers as a pocket listing. 

Tandem coffee in Portland Maine is the type of coffee destination that I seek out when traveling.

Here are the details in each property Property 1 Short SaleMarket value 225kRepairs ~ 18-22k with Materials Offer price 150k **** this is a Listing I am working directly with the bankProperty 2 Estate sale Market Vale 205k Asking 150 Repairs 10k Guest house did flood 90% of repairs done on it Main House never flooded does have some issue with Piping and will need some Sheetrock repair as pipeline leaked in to kitchen Masterbedroom.