The plumber will likely have to cut open the ceiling to confirm and make repairs, so you can save a little money by learning how to do that yourself, confirm the problem, and then call the plumber for repair, then patch the ceiling yourself.As Jonathan is trying to point out, it's important to expect these things and have funds on hand to deal with them.

If there is one thing I would do different is: I would invest Out Of State in markets that had sustained growth, strong job numbers, were safe and desired, and had favorable Landlord laws. 

They do all the work and then they take a cut.

& track my job costs against each category so I can compare my budget vs actuals and calculate the variances.For example:Electrical Budget: $4,000Electrical Actual: $6,300Variance: +$2,300This process is more tedious because you have to breakdown each invoice or receipt and allocate the costs to each Category, but it really helps you understand where you are spending your money and why you went over budget.Otherwise, it sounds like you are having trouble measuring employee productivity?  

You can also ask the title company to offeer a "lean Fee Sheet" meaning "Cut the fat" and reduce the BS fee's.  

Most spend too much of their time and resources on the set up and completely ignore the day to day responsibilities and/or cut corners and costs where greater attention and resources should be spent.  

Until the job is done.

The city's macroeconomics is looking great - lots of population and job growth due to the booming tech scene and many companies choosing to move and develop here.

I am sure Brenda will do a great job for you. 

You can say it had to be cut urgently and try to get them to reimburse you after (may not be successful but at least the danger to your tenant will be gone and you won’t be sued by the tenant).