I did look at some of the material participation criteria and we should easily surpass the requirements since we pretty much spent time improving the home ourselves, managed all guest communication, etc.Thoughts?

For example, syndicating your listings to a much broader audience, making the application faster, improving applicant experience, making maintenance requests get done more smoothly and quickly.

It worked out but I made sure to take all the advice from above to improve for the next time around.   

Look for Value-Add OpportunitiesFocus on properties you can improve to increase rent or reduce expenses—this can make marginal deals much more profitable.3.

Is tenant churn and NOI improvement something property managers are held accountable for, or is that more of a company-level concern?

Maybe you always felt a fence would increase your market rents.Trick with this is you want to only do things that truly permanently improve the property value.

The improved ROI has helped several transactions move forward. 

Many syndications will have special days or events for investors to visit the property to see how things are running, see improvements, ask questions, etc.I invested in a syndication last year and have been invited to several events already, plus they give regular updates on improvements and performance.

This included updating the home's interior, improving curb appeal, and modernizing key features.

This included updating the home's interior, improving curb appeal, and modernizing key features.