They can't assess all the subjective data like overall layout, view from the living room window, the dogs next door that bark all day, the width of doorways, size of individual rooms, quality of kitchen cabinets and appliances, etc.The best thing to do is study your market regularly.

Don't invest in a market if you can't find a quality PM!

The license doesn't cost more, the service and quality does.And a note on that cost, in my experience hiring contractors, only a small percentage of the cost savings was due to finding the right guy who is willing to work for less.

It is my belief your current situation is not a bad position (it is a goid position that will improve with time).  

Keep it simple, paint and carpet, buy a good house in a quality area.

Multiple people had some bad things to say about the area, but when I moved and realized that it was a low income area with a lot of homeowners, I was motivated to improve the property to match the effort my neighbors have put in. 

Sometimes the long term capital gains are palatable and it may make sense for you to pay the tax rather than force a bad deal.

Now I'm not gonna be Mr Tour-guide for any/all who want to stop out and just look around but if you go through the steps and are serious, we have built out acquisition strategy HECK-YEAH I'm gonna say come-on-out and we'd carve out some time to do market tours together AND I'd equip you to do some self study/exploration. 

Also not all deals on FB are bad deals - they just need to be vetted like every other deal.Note: This post is being made based on my opinion and I was not under duress or a threat of lawsuit.  

The scope of work, quality needed, location etc will determine the cost.