If you are sued the person who gets your money and your property won’t care how you were holding it.

I need to quickly and soundly and carefully determine how to regain some cash flow income stream, potentially utilizing two homes I own.

Years ago I have sent yellow letters to 1,000 selected addresses in a suburb of Milwaukee.

That easy question to answer will be a really great litmus test in your due diligence toolbox.If you are evaluating a REIT, it would be wise and prudent to do your homework and select the appropriate professional to guide you.

I don’t even let my tenants take care of our pools.

They don't care about the cash-flow, The write-off's are profitable and there looking at the out-sized equitable gains. 

Second since I am a property owner myself and also own a PM company I try to look at it from different angles.If the tenant wants things fixed it many times means that they plan to stay in the property and since they are picky they tend to take care of the home more.

There is near-zero value add.Your manager failed you because they didn't care to understand the problem or to follow up on the *right* solution.

Who cares?

Take care!