I really want to find a reliable and reputable PM to work with during this process. 

And you need your property occupied by a reliable tenant.

—and prioritize applicants who meet the criteria but also have a solid, reliable rental history.

. -- and they find deals that could be good for all of them - and everyone is helping each otherI think BiggerPockets will be a potentially pretty reliable place - I know that there's different roles, "finders", "buyers", "sellers".... maybe I can just find deals, and connect people together, and get some kind of small finder's fee for it, or something.... ok so that first 10-20k is important to just be able to provide - when getting into this....

For example, the most important job of a property manager is securing reliable tenants—those who stay for many years, always pay rent on time, and take good care of the property.

Since you plan to travel often, focusing on systems and building a reliable team: agent, lender, property manager, and contractor. 

Again, on the flip side, the brokers on our list who have been around for a long time (a decade) have become quite reliable.

I feel your pain.It seems that if a servicing company underperforms or if there are compliance problems, lenders switch to a more reliable servicer.

Permits can vary widely by location, so having a reliable contractor network will help streamline that part of the process.Also, don’t forget to factor in things like insurance, especially in hurricane-prone areas.

A simple baseline plan might’ve steered him toward properties with more reliable maintenace histories or a stronger neighborhood profile, saving him a lot of sweat.