I have 40 spread among Livonia, Westland, redford and garden City

Couple things to think about with regards to spreading people out from city centers:Even if the 2 hour commute is tolerable/desirable etc, there is still fuel/electricity that has to be spent during that ride.

You could potentially team up with a reputable local wholesaler/company and allow them to perform ALL of the work and share the spread with you.

Lots of info, but spread out and relatable. 

This is easiest when you have a big network in the area of the property as word of mouth spreads fast.May find lots of tire kickers, but these are pretty simple and cost effective ways to get things rolling.

If you're paying much over market price, there's a problem in how the company does business up the line - they should be making money on the purchase+rehab/ sale price spread because they can execute rehabs cheaply and efficiently due to economies of scale.

The issue is he's got homes spread over several states. 5 in total. 

This is simply done by over-funding my policy, borrowing the money out at 4% or 5% to purchase the note, and making the spread.

The spreads have to be there as well even if you check a couple times a year, its going to cut into your earnings a bit..... 

I self manage 38 rentals spread over the North half of GA, some 20 min away, some 1hr some 1.5 hr.