Collecting rent rolls, walking properties, learning who's doing the best in our sector/niche and how they're doing it, finding partners, all of these things I'm fairly good at, as I've been doing this for my recruiting agency for the past 3 years.

Basically - I want a PM who keeps the property in good shape and occupied to get paid, and a PM who is either bad at maintaining properties and finding good tenants, or just really unlucky, to not get paid.- PM charges 8% of rent, which escalates to 10% if the property exceeds 95% occupancy with rent collection. - PM charges minimal fees.- PM is contractually obligated to perform annual maintenance/inspection to keep property in top shape. - PM provides a cash based accounting report every month, for every unit under management, that clearly labels all rent, all expenses, including management fees, and the net directly ties to the amount of money deposited into my bank account.- PM is a licensed handyman, or has them on staff, and takes care of most unit turn work at a reasonable rate. - PM has no breakup/termination fee- PM does not take project management fees, except on large or complicated CapEx projects exceeding $5,000. 

Don't limit yourself to the San Antonio area, you may not find one! 

It's very difficult to find off-market deals with predictable upside opportunity.  

The combination of families looking for more space, good schools, and a quieter lifestyle has been a big driver of demand.For my investments, I’ve noticed:High tenant quality: Families or professionals relocating to suburbs like Naperville and Wheaton tend to stay longer, which helps with stability.Increased competition: It’s definitely tougher to find good deals, especially in top-tier school districts.

Where can I find when the STR application opens up?

I'm looking for advice on whether I should purchase my father-in-law's 6 unit apartment in Burien, WA (10 minutes south of Seattle) as my first deal, or perhaps help find him a seller that would pay more than I could and is a couple years ahead of me in REI. 

Then the tenant will rant a bunch of nonsense, have no evidence to back up his stories, and the judge will find in your favor based on the evidence provided by you.For future tenants, I highly recommend you read a book like mine or "Every Landlord's Legal Guide" by NOLO.

I'd like to invest more in that area, but it's much more expensive and harder to find deals.  

To get a deal, you have to find a problem to solve.