Maintenance at at PM company or one of the big hedge owners like AH4R, leasing at apartment complex will teach you a lot about applications, fraud, leases, collections, evictions. 

This isn't totally necessary, but meeting property owners if you need to is a great way to win a deal

Hi, I am the owner of DealMachine.

I tracked the owner down and approached him at his Jewelry store.

The private property owner is responsible for maintenance on the private property.

Owners have been turning theirs into LTRs.  

I currently manage a portfolio of 17 STRs, some are mine, but a majority for other owners.

Common problem, no easy answer:(We try to allow our owner clients to arrange their own maintenance, but have learned the hard way there MUST be limitations:1) They can't hire our people!

@Dwight HenningRecommend 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.

Here is their description and note site Their terms state: "With whole note investments, the investor transfers the complete loan amount and is the sole owner of the 1st position on the loan.