Very difficult to be successful with this program when buying in these lower tier markets unless you are hands on as you say and yes, scale is necessary to achieve efficiencies.

A good manager will handle tenant communication, security deposit transfers, and ensure a smooth transition for you.Changing managers doesn’t have to be difficult—following the agreement and partnering with a competent new PM will help you get things back on track.

I am a newbie in book keeping and i gave up on QB it was very difficult 

It's difficult to see how a tenant will be after screened and signing a lease.

on the chance that something comes to you somehow - you'd have to snap it up / put it under contract immediately, and again, that's very difficult to do remotely. 

I'd done some reading in the past and thought a few of the main Canadian banks had such specialty trust divisions that could help you with plan setup.As for finding investments, networking with other investors, real estate agents, etc. is the way to go.Brian, from what I've heard is that CAN banks  make it extremely difficult to setup. 

Not being on the ground makes it difficult to monitor progress and judge the quality of work.

You could have 10 of these, and they get progressively difficult.  

If not, it’s likely going to be difficult.

There are several hurdles during the process:Find the deal - Unless you are marketing or plugged into a community where there are opportunities, it isn't always easy to find the right dealsEvaluate the deal - Without professional guidance and research tools, it is difficult for a newbie investor to evaluate and ARV/FMV or create an adequate rehab budgetSecondary exit strategies - If things don't go as planned are their other opportunities to exit profitably.