If you buy a nice investment, a bad manager can ruin it.

I soon realized it was because he bullies everyone into believing he will ruin them within the small, close-knit community.

Almost 100% it is because of one of two reasons: either the door gets broken and the tenant tosses it out rather than letting us know, or they take them off so they can use the closet without the doors (such as a nook office) and then put the door somewhere where it gets ruined (outside is popular, in the rain) or gets nabbed by hobos cruising neighborhoods looking for things to steal. 

If you are okay with someone painting over your original woodwork (even though the lease says they can't) or ruining your marble countertops when they dye their hair (true stories) then you may be emotionally hardened enough to rent your original home that you have lovingly designed.Consider, also that at times you will have to carry two large mortgage payments and decide if you are willing to do that.

This is how new investors ruin their reputations before they even have one. 

Of course there is a line that separates legal business from criminal enterprise, but the line is not drawn where you draw it, by alleging and asserting that a businessman must act against his own interests and make idiotic decisions aimed to ruin his own business.All above said, I am not an evil or malicious person.

Requiring renter's insurance (separate from your property insurance) is also very important since they typically would not have the cash reserves to pay for a major damage such as water damage, ruined floors, fire/smoke damage, and you will be sued by 3rd parties if something happens to them while at the house if they have to go to the ER. 

A good PM can turn a mediocre investment into a solid return; a bad PM can ruin a good investment.A good PM can also help you narrow in on the best neighborhoods, cross-check what your REALTOR tells you, and line you up with solid contractors.I'm biased, but I don't think there's a more important person to have on your team.

Which it ended up being closer to 2.5 weeks and almost ruined the timeframe of my loan.

first tenant ruins the carpet and breaks windows and your property manager sends you a $6K bill 7 months in?