They were able to get a better selection of good applicants, but people who had labs or greyhounds, etc.Otherwise, it's got to be the price.  

I'm definitely thinking I need a Contraxtor with access to a lab for post removal testing. 

The PM will also normally charge a fee to find a tenant, get rid of a tenant, supervise repairs, etc.  

I have prospective tenants for my SFR with two dogs (85lb lab, 25lb schnauzer), and in addition to the $500 deposit, will ask for a monthly fee for the pets.  

There is a fee to get a unit rented, to kick a tenant out, to find another one, to supervise repairs, etc.Can you target other types of tenants for this building besides ag workers?  

However, one applicant has a black lab, which I have also owned and had good luck with, and she seems like a very responsible pet owner and person.

Landlord doesn't see you but sees the baby, ALONE, inside without your supervision.  

When I was a child, we had a Lab and later a German Shepard (both over 80 pounds) and neither came inside for heat during the summer. 

But, really, if your property is desirable to good tenants, and you can be picky, you will probably never have any surprise meth labs to deal with.  

My daughter's PM nightmare was that they called everything an emergency, and emptied her account of thousands of dollars without notifying her - until they called her to tell her she needed to put more money in the account.Most will use their own maintenance guys, charge you ridiculous amounts of money for repairs, also charge you to supervise the repairs, charge you to find a tenant, charge you to get rid of the bad tenant they got you, and even charge you to fire them.Just really look over the contract, and negotiate anything you don't like.OR - take some time to find a good handyman or a list of plumbers, electricians, gardeners, etc., and just make those phone calls yourself and save the PM fees.I'm sure you'll hear from investors here who have great managers.