Currently I have 8k auto debt which I could pay off whenever.  

On a more specific note, increase livable square footage is number one, new mechanicals is probably number two, cosmetic updates would be number 3

But it syncs with all of my credit cards and all of my bank accounts and Auto categorizes my expense and income items.During setup It pulled my property tax information automatically along with all my property characteristics, square feet the number of bd/ba all automatically.

I am getting updated with the latest properties available via auto-alerts and searching on Craigslist (I know these are probably not the best places for deals) but it seems like most of the properties make absolutely no sense as possible investments due to the high GRM.

I'm also not that mechanically inclined.I'm not so keen on solution 2-4 as it would require intervention from the tenant to cleanup and replace used up portions, and I'd really like the tenant to not have to think or worry about placing or emptying stuff.  

Now I'm looking to get out of my present line of work (mechanical design), and build a company to include different aspects of real estate.

Some of the costs involved are licensing fees, continuing education, errors & omission insurance, general business liability insurance, increased auto insurance, realtor board membership dues, sentrilock fees, css fees, mls fees. 

Any experience with common brands and which have a strong locking mechanism? 

Think of a mechanic that is telling you to buy Car Model A over Car Model B... they are the ones in a position to know that Car Model B breaks down all the time, based on what they see rolling (or being towed) into their shop. 

There’s a big difference between self managing your rental (finding tenants, background checks, leases, collecting rent, coordinating issues, etc.) and fixing the mechanical problems that come up.