Elsewhere, clumps of debris appear: a crumpled living room chair, a television, a forgotten pair of shoes."

Yes sweat equity and a good pair of shoes (or tires) will build local knowledge no doubt, but even then, it's a bit hit or miss, and more of a challenge for out of state investors.

It is common to have several hundred dollars worth of coins per pair of machines.

Get some tools at Home Depot, a pair of socks at Kohl's and then groceries at Target if they have groceries.  

I would recommend that pair of tools for the jobs you recommend.

Then rolled that into a pair of town houses in the city.

If you pair those things with neighborhood comps illustrating higher rents, the evidence is there to base a rent increase off of.

Regardless I am looking for compensation as a pair off appliances can push $2000.

His video here is a nice demo on how to use it and showcases some of its built in features like how to download and export lists and utilizing options for segmenting or targeting off market deals with varying degrees/types of motivation. from personal use I know you can also create and send out mailers directly to those lists he shows you how to make.A lot of your needs regarding contacting and documenting conversations sound very much like a CRM, which you could pair with Remine Pro to get all your bases covered.

You are paired up with a local mentor from the start and they will take you through at least your first 3 transactions!