I also have a personal relationship with my contractor so got a massive price break. 

Yikes I am almost afraid to jump in on this one, however, I know Joe personally and he is not a scammer.

I personally am interested in creating a long-term rental portfolio but I'd be interested in hearing any strategy, ie. house flipping, short term rentals etc.

Shame on those here recommending it.Similarly, don’t even consider borrowing against your personal residence—even if you could qualify.

This isn't something I've been able to keep up with personally, so I hire property managers who rely on legal counsel to keep up with it.

It would just need to be a situation where they have great contact with the person doing that managing of the project (I.e. have known the person for years, great reputation, person has experience in flipping etc.).

You might get transferred a couple times until you reach the right person.

Having trusted boots on the ground makes all the difference when you can’t be there in person.

I know some will differ here but I will offer my personal opinion like many others have.

@Ryan Raven most states don't care if you screw up the management of real estate you own personally.The government does have a problem with an unlicensed person/company screwing up the management of properties they do not own.