>East Bay rents dipped slightly but are expected to rise 3%-4% as vacancy decreases.

@Josh WellsRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

With business and population growth continuing, do you think Austin might stabilize into a more balanced market, or could we expect another surge once this supply is absorbed?

Much will depend on the price of the property, for sub $100k I’d expect to pay something extra. 

High than expected operating expenses? 

By being clear about your expectations and offering a fair financial incentive, you can increase the chances that the tenant will accept the offer and vacate the property without having to go through a formal eviction process. 

I pretty much tell my friends expect 12 to 15k in getting the cabin to where you want it for rentals.  

We've analyzed the City of Detroit's 183 Neighborhoods and have posted hundreds of times here on BP that investors need to understand the Class of the Neighborhood that they are investing in, so their performance expectations will be met.DM us if you'd like to chat more:)

And yeah, as time goes on, I'm getting better at holding fewer expectations and just letting everyone do their thing.

Here's some copy & paste advice we hope you find useful:----------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a Class A property in Class D area, what quality of tenant will you get?