Pigtown has some incentives associated with it from some local companies such as UMMC however I really see this area taking awhile to develop and some of the people I know who have purchased there regret it due to safety issues. 

If you are starting out and have W-2 income likely you would want to keep that for loan qualification but once your portfolio is established you can choose what other, if any, income you want to spend your time developing.

Appreciation is nice but cash is king. 

If the borrower pays off early, I would make a nice return, obviously, but I wonder, what motivation is there for the borrower to pay off a sub 2% loan early. 

Yes, I get it if you look at a 20yr chart real estate has a nice beautiful uptrend. 

It’s also nice to see that there should be a cap.

If you plan to hold, having new plumbing, electrical, tile, cabinets, etc will be nice as well. 

I'll have a nice chunk to through on my other debts so I'll be able to knock all of them out pretty fast.

I belive that providing nice and affordable homes is definitely a start.

Hard money is really only best for investments where you have room to cover the expenses and still make a nice profit for yourself.