They don't want a super modern home build in an area filled with craftsman or farm style homes.

It usually takes multiple interactions to build rapport before meeting in person 

But, commercial tenants, as was said above by @Greg Scott, can create longer vacancy times and may want build outs done, depending on the area and the prospective tenant.At your price point, the spread on commercial/residential will matter also based on your management expectation.

I currently have a place I rehabbed that I have listed for sale because I'm also building a house that I need the cash for, but I have another house I just started that I may rent.

It would take me 6 months to fix our primary up and an additional 6 months to build the garage.

I hope to learn from the collective expertise of the members on BP and build a local team in Milwaukee. 

I know people who did this so they could empty the building for condo conversions.

However, these buildings have no mortgages or liens and the areas have become quite desirable to young professionals since acquired.

I recently had a infill lot under contract to purchase so I can build a 2 family house.

The next thing would be connecting with a lender and seeing if you can find any properties that pass the self sufficiency test if looking at 3-4 unit buildings.