This might help you get a bit of breathing room to address the bigger maintenance issues you mentioned, like the garage roof and leaning trees.It’s also important to find a support system, whether it’s other landlords who understand what you’re going through or a mentor who can offer advice and encouragement.

I am thinking of using online banking with no minium but I keep hearing stories its customer service is nightmare? 

I think what is becoming more and more important is having a solid investment thesis and understanding of your target market and the value proposition you are offering to your customers through your properties. 

Contractors are frequently working multiple jobs - and if they know you are out of town investors - how much priority is your job to them, versus meeting with other customers for their next job or finishing people who have their eyes on them.  

Please understand, I'm not putting down people having facebook pages to encourage each other in real estate investing , etc.

I'd encourage you to speak to an attorney to make sure you are set up with good protection to cover any incident that may happen i.e. umbrella policy or increased liability coverage. 

With online sales and focused brand building, companies like Mercedes can forge a direct relationship with their customers.

I have several customers there.

If you jump into something before doing this - you're highly likely to get taken advantage of, or at best waste your time & money.Can't help with a coach:(Do recommend investing close to home if you can and then screen the heck out of PMCs with your expectations & goals to hire a good one.Recommend 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.

It's not repeatable for a new investor with zero knowledge or experience and I think it's irresponsible to encourage him to cash out equity and chase rainbows.