The listing agent they hired was terrible with blurry pics, bad descriptions and no open houses.

It might mean you lose the deal, but it might also save you if something terrible lurks. 

It can be a great option, or it could be a terrible option - running your numbers as Michele mentions above will help you choose the right path.Many of us have worked with HML's, and as selfish as it is - I don't give out my best guys because they are relatively small and they might not have enough in their coffers for my next deal if they get too busy with other investors.Also many lenders work only with specific types of deals in specific geographic regions. 

There is no advice or question here, you're just complaining, and complaining has a terrible return on investment. 

@Michael Stanley Nino  Investing from a distance is not terribly complicated, however it does require some travel and some hands-on activity.  

They’ve had lazy and terrible contractors rehab with broken materials.

Fortunately for us the pictures were terrible in the listing and that made it less appealing to other buyers.

The houses are in 2-different parts of town--the one that was on the market long is in a nice area, but it is flooded with rental homes.Based on your story, your PM doesn't sound terrible, but they don't sound like superstars either.

Lastly, I am terribly pessimistic so take my observations with a grain of salt.

My thinking with that is my negotiating position would be pretty terrible if the investor was providing money AND risk.