@Kyle Varner We definitely have a high season, two shoulders and a low season.

Then you might prefer smaller properties (popular with Snowbirds and smaller parties) that will rent better in the "shoulder season" than something 4 BR+. 

I could see someone giving you the cold shoulder on a phone call or telling you to stop sending them postcards, but going to the effort of responding to a Craigslist ad is weird.

Traditionally these central systems lag the mini-splits in ultimate performance (COP, HSPF), especially in cold climates, but there is a new Canadian designed unit being commercialized by EcoLogix which has the compressor indoors, allowing it to retain efficiency down to -25C (or lower) without the energy costs of frequent defrost cycles.In the dead of winter when we have a week or two of temperatures below -30C, auxiliary heat is still required, but we realize benefit from the heat pumps most of the winter and particularly in the shoulder heating seasons.Heat pumps or not, the first order of business is to improve the air sealing and insulation of the building envelope - you receive less benefit of producing heat more efficiently/cheaply if it is going straight to the outdoors.

I didn’t see the reason to sign the agreement whereas if this realtor was making offers for us in this geographical area, we were not looking over her shoulder for another realtor in that area. 

You find the deals and sell them to investors so you never go into debt or shoulder any of the risk. 

"Now a days, managers are afraid of getting fair housing violations"This is only one of the many reasons we are seeing a steep rise in the number of bad tenants.Government priority in protecting tenants to insure evicted tenants do not fall on the shoulders of government.

This way you do not have to always be looking over your shoulder.

I'm nervous that a monthly report will be too hands-off when the portfolio is in flux, but I know most PMs don't want me looking over their shoulder forever.

Scenario: you partner with a rehabber, you bring the capital and shoulder the financial risk, they do the work. 1 year later, do a cash out refi, you get a good chunk of your capital back (say 80%, maybe more, depending on the structure), and now you've got your "turn key property" managed by someone else with skin in the game.