It does not appear that many newbies (or experienced) investors are buying much (transaction levels are at record lows). 

They're the ones working with those agencies on a regular basis and have the best referrals.As far as recovering the debt, try leveling with the tenant as much as possible so they grasp the seriousness of being sent to collections.

THEY ARE STEALING FROM YOU (remember your remark about him not even getting a fast food/entry level job? 

You should not get a PM until you have scaled to a level that requires it.

Your real estate agent will help determine what level of staging will make the most impact on your house and market.They can help you decide if professional staging is worth the investment, or if you can knock it out with their advice alone.

@Jacob DaltonIt seems you have a high level of concern when it comes to investing in Cook County.

-> Where to find people (architects, surveyors, etc): it’s hard to find people who operate on a national level, except for the main real estate agents.

Keep in mind that while there is an exemption to the Fair Housing Act.....most states that have a state level Fair housing law do not typically provide the same exemptions as the national law.

The "big" firms like AA may get a lot of hype but they generally can't compete on the next level tax strategies (Family office type strategies) nor customer service as their employee turnover is quite high.  

The price to rent ratio one can get in the Section 8 space in Detroit is next level.