Feel free to ask if you’d like more tips on what to look for in a PM. 

So a question, haha, and forgive me if this sounds incredibly naive - how about getting a property manager or someone else with boots on the ground to do the underwriting by visiting in person etc.

Also any tips for automating this as much as possible and how to protect the property financially and property management would be appreciated.I ALMOST understand the rental arbitrage strategy if building a company scaling with say 30 + units and looking for high short term cash flow.  

And due diligence is key with good tips from @Mike G.

If you allow this to continue, they will only get worse over time, and your losses will increase.I suggest you hire an attorney.

Though my last visit turned me off with the traffic and prices.

This is your investment.

This contractor has 0 reviews on yelp which I found a bit sketchy, but was able to vet him by his contractor's license, worker's comp, and by visiting some of his ongoing projects.

Visit the property and learn about various renovation stages, gain insights from our experienced investors / speaker, and learn strategies for evaluating deals, managing budgets, and maximizing ROI.What to expect:Property walkthroughsReview before photos and discuss transformation plansDive into real deal numbers—costs, profits, and challengesNetworking with industry prosOpen Q&A session to ask anything about the process

These clauses are contained, in all Promissory Notes nowadays.Many Realtors and/ or Mortgage Brokers will not tell you this information.