We just bought an easement from the City Of Rochester and they hired an appraiser to give a third party valuation. 

I'd do that and I'd fire the PM and hire a reputable one. 

We were desperate to get the house cleaned and ready for tenants and hired our PM with hopes that this would be resolved much quicker.

It seems if you are far away from this property then it might be a good idea to consider hiring the services of an experienced property manager who really could provide ongoing communication during the whole stay.  

Focus on stable, low-maintenance properties in B-class neighborhoods and hire property managers to reduce complexity.

Hire a PM to manage the current primary once it becomes a rental. 

Typically what I advise clients is to self manage your first 2-10 units hire your management for 10-100 units and then have the management company scale with you when you get to 100-200 units.

I agree on the point of your investment is not guaranteed and never fall in love with the sticker price of the offering (ie returns), you really need to look under the hood on these dealsBut active investing is not for everyone and if you do not have the time to manage your active investments, it’s not like the stock market where you have as good a chance to return on your portfolio doing nothing than hiring a manager - if you do not have the time nor ability it typically will not end well.

I paid him 15k AFTER paying another architect , just because the town insisted I hire him.

I'm assuming there's lots of stuff out there that's way cheaper.I originally wanted to just buy a couple lists of 10k numbers each of targeted motivated sellers, and then hand them off to a VA company that will dial them, but I was told it'll be a much better business if I get proficient myself and then hire my own VA's and train them.