It is cheaper, in general, to sub out like you say but if you have no experience sequencing the work and talking to subs you may be scarring them off.

Anyway, thought I’d share if others are interested.  

Any insights, advice, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I have noticed competitors charge as low as 10 to 15% but their quality isn't the best and then I have seen others charge 25 to 30% We remain in the middle and provide a small business experience with super host status.

Should I just jump into it and try to invest in my first property with not much experience besides the many investing books I've read?

Property managers can make or break your out of state experience.

I'm interested in the VB/VA and OK City markets (lots of family in OK now), but then again, I don't have much experience analyzing markets. 

How can I strike a deal where they can still receive some income from the property, but I can purchase the home and make my share and eventually (1-2 years away) own the home and eventually get full profit from this 8-unit property.

But would love to hear some of your Advice and / or Experience anyone has had as they've gone down this investing journey!

In my experience, 75% of the time, the tax payer doesn't have a large enough liability to justify the accelerated depreciation anyhow- depending on your income and tax bill, it might not matter at all.