If I were to buy a rental property would I have to be physically there or could a property manager or real estate agent help me with that? 

The top three reasons I have experienced are:1 - Too strict rental criteria and/or price2 - Condition of the rental3 - Neighborhood and/or neighbors (this includes street traffic, proximity to town/transportation/freeways)It sounds it could be #1 or #3 and I am leaning to #3

Here's how I do my due diligence:1) Portfolio matching: (takes 30 seconds per deal)a) Have an educated opinion on where you think we are in the real estate cycles (financial and physical market cycles)b) Then only then pick the strategies, capital stack, and specialized asset subclasses that make sense for that opinion.

., bedrooms, etc. in close proximity to determine the base value, then adjust from there according to the quality of the interior compared to your comps.   

A majority of the cities and towns around here don't have "good school districts to choose from" they have 1 or 2 schools in the whole county people don't pick where they live on schools as much as proximity to their jobs.average rent is around $750, lowest is 2bed 1 bath duplex that's $625 a side...

There are also a lot of online courses that you can explore if you don't have time to physically sit in class.

You are also assuming the asset will achieve 100% economic occupancy (loss to lease, bad debt, vacancy) all of the time, which is never the case even will full physical occupancy.

Class A-D Properties - According to this classification system, properties are graded according to a combination of geographical and physical characteristics.These letter grades are assigned to properties after considering a combination of factors such as the age of the property, location of the property, tenant income levels, growth prospects, appreciation, amenities, and rental income.Class AClass A properties tend to be new construction or built within the last 5 to 10 years, with top of the line amenities and professional management.

That report showed Kansas City’s prices shot up 6.5% between the third quarter of 2018 and the third quarter of 2019 — ranking 20th among the nation’s top 100 metro areas for home price inflation then.Northeast Johnson County, with its smaller, older homes and proximity to Kansas City, remains an especially hot market, said Mike Gallagher, an agent with Keller Williams who helped Hadley find her home.In one ZIP code covering parts of Prairie Village and Mission Hills, median prices rose more than 20% between fall 2018 and fall 2019.

You’re still responsible for physical tank.