When the housing market became seller friendly, I unloaded 5/6 of our long term rental units, paid off our house with that and invested in stocks and mutual funds…completely no fun, right??

With the money from my savings and stocks I have about 100k . 

I like new construction since there isn't any deferred maintenance and the properties should be relatively maintenance free for the first couple years (although it's good to include maintenance/repairs in your pro forma and maintain reserves just in case). 

When you start, the company may give you a small existing portfolio, but then you'll have to maintain & grow it to make a decent living.You could also work as a leasing agent at an apartment complex.

I completely understand the importance of maintaining a professional relationship with tenants, and I will definitely keep that in mind.To answer your questions, I am still working on narrowing down my price range, but I’m aiming for something budget-friendly as this will be my first purchase.

No one's perfect and honest mistakes happen and a PMC often needs guidance as to what level an owners wants to maintain their property.Wasn't trying to solicit your business,so I'll respond via DM about the rest of your questions:)

At the risk of taking flak here, I'm going to say I've seen a lot of super cute stock tank pools that are low-cost options. 

It sounds like you’re handling things well by setting up systems early.For this tenant, a calm and professional response is best to maintain a good relationship while reinforcing your policies.

Make sure the exterior of your property looks inviting and well-maintained.

This stands true for any/every investment segment in existence; stocks, ETF's, business ventures.