I'd much prefer to put $60K on a down payment and closing costs so I have $50K to fix it up.So a couple of questions: 1) Am I mistaken in thinking those kind of lower down payment products are out there for regular folks like us? 

Househacking is different from regular REI because you will need to live in the home.

Hi Roland,I manage my own MTR and co-host for others in North Dallas.

My property manager I don't think has a chance to relax, but she does have systems built around her to free up the time when it comes to regular maintenance and rent collection. 

If you were to say to them, for example, "I see you have a baby coming, so I'm not going to renew your lease since you are regularly late paying now

A property manager can be a great asset for regular check-ins and updates.

Oh look, you get to deduct your cell phone, your internet, your tax prep, all kinds of other things regular people don’t. 

Gratitude overflows for me, as this group got me launched 5 years ago into the world of hosting vs landlording.  

The website 51west.properties also scores low on scam advisor ("owner is using a service to hide their identity, high number of suspicious websites on the server, registrar has a high % of spammers and fraud sites, website is (very) young, website appears to be hosted by a company with a bad reputation", all according to https://www.scamadviser.com/check-website/51west.properties...)Trust your instincts. 

I love audio books and listen to them regularly when doing mindless work tasks or on walks.