I went to all their websites and pared it down to about 40-45 based on what I could discern about the services they offer.

That is a sure sign that you have the discernment to actually be in this business!!!

Carl Jung put it, As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being. 

Hopefully, all the feedback shared on this forum will give you a discerning eye. 

I don't want my tenants (or frankly anyone else) to be able to easily discern that I own an LLC which owns X number of properties.

I decided to go with using a PM for a couple reasons:I know myself, and when it comes to the sad stories of tenants that cannot pay rent, I will always have a hard time discerning and treating my business as a business, rather than a charity.  

@James Gates Yes, I am trying to discern how difficult it is, because there may come a day where I move away from my primary location of real estate acquisitions.

Part of your education is to become more discerning of not just what makes sense to you but the reality of what actually works. 

But it didn't make what I did before a failure, it just sharpened my discernment moving on.

Two thoughts, both of which have to do with using quantitative vs. qualitative data: Numbers are good for discerning patterns and making high-level comparisons, but don't (can't) really tell the on-the-ground story.