The safest bet is to get yourself some oil based primer and a coat of paint on the interior when turning it over.

You can always pick those up after the lease ends via a judgement in court - you will have the same odds of collecting unpaid rent (close to 0).Sometimes we take it personally when folks do stuff like pay late every month - landlords live longer when we learn to not take things personally.

One idea that I have been pondering is buying a plot of land in a relatively good location with high odds of appreciation then placing a prefab house on top of it.

If you are able to self promote on social media, that might be your best bet.

I am also willing to bet you dinner somewhere that the loan docs on the underlying mortgage have somekind of prohibition on doing exactly what is being done. 

So I think my best bet to start off with is to find a property management company.That said, I’m wondering if anyone has tips on property management companies they would recommend, and/or any tips on how to find the best property management.

What's the odds something bad could happen?

Nest seems like a good bet, but it's not clear if they are compatible...?

I’m willing to bet most investors here would not do something like that for fear of harming their reputation.  

Your best bet is hire a local designer.