At the heart of effective property management lies the ability to balance the competing interests of three critical stakeholders: owners, tenants, and vendors.

What you can't do remote is get a sense for the neighborhood and asset quality.

I recently saw someone turn around a three-family property there by targeting tenents like teachers and nurses.. stable professionals who value quality housing.

@Chris Kay finding a quality, cost-effective contractor is extremely difficult:(There are thousands of contractors that are great talkers, but rarely perform within budget.Standard bait & switch is to lowball a bid, then once they get started all sorts of things "pop up" that somehow their bid didn't cover.

.- They often get sold Class C or D properties while using Class A assumptions - then wonder why they are losing money.Here's some copy & paste info that you hopefully find helpful:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Their commercials seem higher quality than the no on prop 33 commercials (who have similar budgets but from much more sources).Hopefully voters educate on this and strike down this proposition for the third time. 

@James Wise MICHIGAN UPDATE: new law went into effect January 2, that landlords can no longer discriminate on tenant income source.

But, I bet-ya it's also effective.  

I've been informed that completing the course alone may not be sufficient to pass the exam, so I’m seeking advice on how to prepare effectively once I complete it.Currently, my only other resources include a YouTube video, five practice exams, and a textbook.If you have any additional suggestions—whether online or in-person, paid or free—that could help me effectively prepare for the exam, I would greatly appreciate them.

As you are finding out, it is so local that the next door building effects your investment.