Keep in mind that Chinese own a lot of dollars and treasuries after helping bail us out in 2008-2009 crisis and many projects whether they are infrastructure in Africa, Silk Road in Asia, or Investments by citizens in other countries are ALWAYS done in dollars.

Like you, I figured that having the cash flow up front to re-invest rather than waiting to cash out down the road was a better choice for my goals, so I don’t mind losing the principal pay down for the higher cash flow in the beginning.

When that happens, you'll thank yourself for budgeting the money to hire someone to handle this property for you, so that you can focus on identifying new properties to invest in. 

Identify that thing that's blocking you and work to address it. 

This will streamline the process and protect you from bs down the road.

@Joe Hammel another great tool to identify crime ridden areas is Spot Crime

When I talked to a real estate agent that is helping me, he told me that before we even identify a property and create a business plan, he would need to know what I qualify for and how much of a down payment I could be putting down.

Lastly, they're going to get more complaints as the termites spread, which means more costs down the road. 

Other than just paying attention to the zoning regulations, Is anyone aware of a tool that will help identify the percentage of each in a given area?

Lol investing some time into learning this stuff and it will save you headaches down the road.