We’re considering whether to do mid-grade updates and rent it soon if we can find a good next property though acquisition and ongoing costs are a problem.

The ability to effectively self manage would depend on the scale you are trying to buy. 

Rental income is subject to tax, but it is also possible to deduct many costs related to owning and maintaining rental property, including property management fees, repairs, and mortgage interest payments.Additionally, for those investors holding properties in Germany for the long-term, the country's capital gains tax law is attractive.

Are there other, more cost-effective alternatives to gain similar support and knowledge?

Even when we manage to reach a working voicemail,owners often assume we are just another "we buy land" serviceoffering far below market value.Given thesechallenges, we are eager to learn the most effective strategies for locatingpotential sellers and establishing a professional, trustworthy connection thatencourages serious consideration of our offers.Telephone/voicemail is informal, hence casual, hence “we aren’t putting much effort into this.”

I'm going to reiterate what's already been mentioned above, but I'm going to actually give you examples of why it's relevant to you to find a U.S. tax professional.1 - You're going to need to file U.S. taxes once you have property down here, there's federal filings, state filings, and sometimes local filings too2 - Tons of tax treaties between the U.S. and Canada that are easy to miss and can cost you a lot of money (important one with rentals - effectively connected income - if the professional you talk to doesn't know what this is, run away)3 - The amount of days you spend in the U.S. needs to be tracked and if you go over a threshold, all of your worldwide income could be taxable by the U.S.4 - Selling real property means up to 15% of your sales proceeds might not be available to you for years (FIRPTA)5 - Lots of nuance at the state and local levels, which both want to take as much money from you as possibleMain takeaway here is that you should find a U.S. based tax person.

You would need to bring everything up to code currently and that's going to be cost prohibitive.

Yearly increasing costs will, in time, eat up any profit they have per unit.

Would you mind sharing the cost?

If purchasing new real estate as part of your reinvestment, a cost segregation study can maximize depreciation deductions, offsetting future taxable income.For effective planning, assess how the sale price is allocated between real estate, tangible assets, and goodwill, as this determines the tax treatment.