Seems like a pretty fair recommendation to me.

Wanted to still be close to family but maintain a cheaper lifestyle, still have strong appreciation, and much better tenant/landlord laws, taxes, etc. 

Your property is fairly destruction proof, costs near nothing to maintain, yet you can charge above market rents.If your property is nicer (class B) where the carpet alone might be $6k or more to replace when the tenant spills hair dye everywhere, you won't be as happy as in the situation above.  

But you want your policies to be fairly firm. 

While I’ve flipped a fair amount of houses, Iv never done one one while living in it.

If it's in the restricted zone (within 31 miles of the coast or 62 miles from an international border, you have the choice between using a bank trust and paying the fees mentioned above or using a Mexican corporation and bearing the costs of establishing and maintaining  the corporation.

It does eliminate the need to add chlorine but the chlorinators (Pentair IntelliChlor) have a fairly short lifespan.  

Tenants should certainly take responsibility for maintaining the property and promptly informing the landlord of any maintenance concerns.

If you have an older home that requires a lot of maintenance, you probably want to avoid the manager who charges a markup.I recommend shopping around occasionally to see if your PM is procuring fair pricing or just marking you up to make money without justification.As for expectations, you need to read the PM agreement and understand what is charged and why.

To thrive in real estate investing, you must maintain a firm grip on your finances.