They will overcharge and buy crap. 

Their service has been less than par ( overcharging for repairs etc) but that is another post.My current issue is that I have not received rental disbursements for July and Aug.

Their service has been less than par ( overcharging for repairs etc) but that is another post.My current issue is that I have not received rental disbursements for July and Aug.

You've been over-charging them for five of the months for a total of seven days of rent every year.You should contact your tenant, repent for your accounting error, and refund a week of rent.Greedy bastage.

I believe my biggest mistake was using a GC (who over charged - thought I would be paying for great service).

This helps keep him  from taking me for granted and that he can feel that he got it in the bad and start to overcharge.

Many investors would rather pay someone for an hour of work than take an hour of their time to explain the task to someone who likely won't be a part of their long-term team.Many of the 'gurus' do overcharge for what they are offering, but the idea behind charging for their services is to compensate them for the time they aren't doing deals, and also to see who is serious about learning.If you are interested in finding a "mentor", the best thing in my opinion is counter-intuitively to look for a PAID position you can take in a small real estate company.  

My point is you are always going to get ripped off or overcharged until you know whats going on.

Unless he's somehow making it up by overcharging you for paint and materials.BTW, except for my best units, I use semi-gloss or satin sheen on all the walls.

You can be lazy all day long as an investor and 'trust' that the contractor is using the right quality materials, not cutting costs, overcharging or cutting corners on your project, but don't expect that you aren't increasing your risk of being taken advantage of in some way by 100x.