I own a home improvement company and also completed a flip with great ROI.

Avoiding accessive PM fees (personally I recommend most people self-manage)These will eat away at your ROI.

Call some local HVAC/Mechanical companies and ask what the average cost would be for this upgrade! 

It is also worth noting that property management is often closer to 30% of gross rent for a short-term rental due to the much more intensive hands-on management compared to a typical 10% for long-term and as such, I agree with recommendations above that medium term rentals may provide the best of both worlds if you are able to tailor proximity to a local need, e.g. hospitals and travel nurses.Again, happy to relay my personal experiences in the area if you're interested.Best of luck,Patrick

But, you need to talk directly to the person whose name is on title. 

Nothing is ever the tenant's fault and the system always blames the owner/PMC.This is why we record EVERY phone call, save every email and will NOT allow our staff to use personal cell phones for texting.

I do bot believe i have the personality or systems for it!

However, I have found local property managers to be very helpful in stating whether an area was difficult to rent, what the market rents were, and even personally knowing some of the tenants of buildings I was considering.

I think this is a calculation a lot of homeowners are making right now--especially if they have a low interest mortgage, equity, and their house will cashflow as a rental.The choice is a personal one of course, but I think your future self will thank you if you pull out some equity from your existing home with a HELOC for the downpayment on the next house and a cushion renting your current home, use a property manager as you have other things to do, and buy the next house and do the same thing again.

Here’s what keeps successful house buyers winning (even when deals fall apart):**They don’t get emotionally attached to a deal- A lost deal is not a personal failure.