Looking for realistic expectations after the learning process. 

Whether you sell your properties or not, having a brand helps define the customer experience a little better  because people start getting to know your brands product and what to expect.

Or try the reverse - rehab a property to Class A standards in a Class D neighborhood and try to get a Class A or B tenant to rent it.Unfortunately, many newbie real estate investors are jumping into buying affordable Class C rentals - expecting Class A results.

Here are some practical tips and insights based on my experience managing a real estate fund and working in this field.First, setting realistic expectations.

Expect rates to be higher with CLTV capped at 70%. 

Neither path was completely hands-off, but the returns turned out higher than we initially expected (despite all the lumps and bumps along the way).As for Lakeland, I think @Andrew Haley's observations about mobile homes are spot on.

We had a client that bought in Port huron and then ended up selling their property because they went through 3 PMCs and gave up trying to find a great one:(Some copy and paste advice below:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Where do you expect to receive the money to buy out your "partners" in these companies as you drive returns into the ground? 

Expected return was 15%?  

I expect a free estimate from a contrator who possibly would be doing the actual work.