I'm with you that sidewalk slip and fall litigation may be less likely in the Midwest than say Mid Atlantic which tends to have more litigious cities but dismissing premises liability issues can come back to bite an investor and when these properties have such razor thin margins that an investor must consider the cost benefit analysis of safety against ROI, there is a real estate issue and is usually a losing proposition.   

Is saving the fee a PM charges worth the potential thousands in cost and headaches?

This can often be cost-prohibitive. 

I took the 3 day this past October (2018) and feel it was a great course, but it was a "repeat" of a lot of the info available for free on youtube, etc. 

Here are some trends that could play out, or further develop in 2025.Leasing & Tenant Experience AI-Powered Leasing: Chatbots and AI tools will streamline leasing processes, from answering tenant inquiries to scheduling tours.Virtual Tours & Digital Leasing: These will become even more standard, making it easier for tenants to rent remotely.TechnologySmart Property Management: IoT devices (smart locks, thermostats, etc.) will become more common, improving efficiency and tenant satisfaction.Property Management Software: Platforms will integrate more AI for predictive maintenance, rent collection, and financial reporting.SustainabilityGreen building practices and energy-efficient upgrades will be a major focus, driven by tenant demand and potential incentives.AI & AutomationAI will play a bigger role in tenant screening, rent pricing optimization, and even predicting market trends.Automation will handle repetitive tasks like maintenance requests and lease renewals, freeing up PMs for higher-level activities.I'm sure there are plenty more shifting trends that I haven't mentioned and that are sure to evolve over the next year. 

We have sold (tax free), kept as long term and/or short term rentals as well.

That said, Detroit is very much a block-by-block city, so local knowledge is critical to avoid issues.If you’re serious about learning more, feel free to send me a DM.

Most PM software allows late fees to be charged.Ours allows us to absorb the cost of tenants paying electronically thru the software - it usually wants to charge tenants, but we want them to pay electronically.We manually charge tenants a Processing Fee for mailing in their rent, a slightly lower Processing Fee for depositing to our bank.Your success will depend on the Class of your tenants.

In Indianapolis we perform this work for clients and they do a little better than market, but still have to pay a GC (us) for a year of our time plus their interest or opportunity costs on having so much cash out for that time period.

Extra 4 months of carrying costs are up most of the margin.