It doesn't matter how disconnected your command is from a prospective tenant or client.You never know when one Saturday you're the NCOIC/OIC over some group at an airshow and low and behold....IG investigation.The military and their families are a great investment opportunity due to the consistency and longevity of their demand.

When I first started landlording I tried an "exit survey" for outgoing tenants, and the response rate (even with SASE) was so low I abandoned it. 

I'm looking to rollover my 401k into a self-directed IRA for the purpose of investing in a note. The holder of the note would use the money to buy real estate but I would only receive one payment annually so there wou...

Do you think in the long run, the terms of a commercial loan would set me up for success better than hanging onto great 30 year loans at low rates?

My biggest piece of advice is to stay out of low end, inner city neighborhoods.

The lender probably won't work with you on that because that isn't how FHA loans work, they need to be sure that the house will have a value that justifies their loan amount so they can give you a low down payment. 

The more information is that the 7 year ARM can get rates as low as traditional financing (almost) and won't require reserve funds for other loans.

My most recent role paid around $140k between salary and bonus in Kentucky, which has a pretty low COL. 

You can go as low as 3% down with conventional.

I have very low paid expenditures, currently the property tax is $1,100 annually, I pay 65$ in insurance and I am setting aside 7% in capital expenditures, best of all no mortgage.