We have been fortunate to rarely hold any security funds from former tenants.

We have emails, video conferences, secure portals etc etc.We do have a physical office, and half of our clients are local.

Consider all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

I am an investor in debt DIRECTLY secured by REAL ESTATE.  

As a result, competing against seasoned investors in the multifamily space can be challenging, especially for newcomers or those with less capital to deploy.On the other hand, single-family homes (SFH) are typically the go-to choice for primary homebuyers, who are not always as cash-rich as investors but can still secure financing through conventional loans.

my RE income from my rentals is semi-passive of course... so less active than W2 but more active than dividends or social security.I just dont really see owning rentals as passive to me its active if your going to stay right on top of them and have them perform like you want them to ( this is specfic to owning C class low B class sFRs  Not those who might own 100 unit apartments with professional management those are passive as long as they are working good. . 

Additionally, there’s always a risk that any pet-related damages could be hidden under furniture or otherwise concealed, potentially leaving us to cover the costs if the security deposit is fully depleted by other expenses (e.g., damages or unpaid rent).

When you get to rural areas, even in Tuscany, you need to more risk-adverse as the property value might not increase, unless you have another operating business on it like a boutique hotel or vineyard, that you can blast social media influencers to get more people to come.

Ensuring a solid lease agreement and security deposit will help mitigate this.