But I had not built up my self-confidence yet.

Then you can avoid the self promotion issue. 

Remember, the notion of amassing wealth without investing is a dangerous myth perpetuated by self-proclaimed experts.

As for income verification, I require the applicants two most recent paystubs and if self employed I need their most recent tax return.

There are a lot of ways to crash and burn, so increasing the odds of succeeding long term should be your highest priority. you can always sell your local assets once you're comfortable managing rentals and ready for a market that better-suits your criteria. btw, kudos for being self-aware of your limitations.

At the point I made that decision, I didn't even know about self-directed IRAs, I just knew in general IRAs had a bit more flexibility.  

Have you considered moving those funds into a self-directed IRA (SDIRA)?

I've self managed in the past but managing other people's properties is new.

.: I am not going to express an opinion on whether being on a single platform can improve your ranking because i really d not know and admit you may be right.  

Hi @Ramsey Doumani,Your strategy is more than possible, self management with the team you already have in place should be a breeze.