We come across a lot of owners super frustrated with their current manager and the main issue seems to be communication, on top of cleaning/maintenance and lack of attention to detail. 

Correct. 

Hi Rene,I have received four quotes so far:First Quote: $90,000 ($273/sq ft) or $100,000 ($303/sq ft) as mentioned in the initial posting.Second Quote: $92,000Third Quote: $158,290 (Including Interior Design)Fourth Quote: $140,000 - $150,000I plan to go with the first quote/contractor, as they've previously done renovations in the house, and I appreciate both their communication and work quality.

We were not there often due to travel and had no pets, apartment was returned in the same condition that we received itI am wondering if a normal wear and tear allowance calculation is something that actually exists and by law they need to provide the hourly rate breakdown and what was cleaned correct?

Buyers agent will still be paid, but now you have to communicate your value to your client.Jumping from one thing another isn't going to solve your issues.

There are several properties that either are zoned correctly or would need rezoning, but priced out of our range, so hadn't made any offers yet, there.

But it really gets serious with how you handle showings, your application, how you conduct tenant screening, credit / background checks and your communication style throughout all of this.

", shows your inexperience.The cashflow numbers for Class C & D properties only look good on paper because few investors plug the correct assumptions into their ROI calculators.Have seen many newbies use a 5% vacancy factor for Class C & D properties with nothing built into their calculations for tenant-nonperformance or the extra damages low-demographic tenants statistically cause.BTW: we recommend using at least a 20% Vacancy+Tenant-nonperformance number.

If it's not adjusted correctly there won't be enough water to flush everything down. 

As long as you price it correctly, people will see the house condition matches the listing photos (professionally done), they will take the property as soon as they see it.