Central system will likely bring you the higher net perceived value.

It has everything to do with the way it is perceived, and I am not responsible for that. 

What benefit do you perceive you'll have by lending via an entity?

Real Work is hard and they charge and return phone calls according to what they perceive the pain will be to them and their crews.

Plug up the holes and put out bait  Sure, but my question is more along the lines of “how do guests perceive mouse bait/traps” when the only unoccupied times are between 10am and 4pm 2-3 days per week?

The high cost, low initial cash flow markets are high cost because of the perceived risk is low and/or the anticipated appreciation (both property and rent) is high.  

My tenants would likely refer to me as a nice guy who is boring but has pride in each property I own and cares about providing a quiet, safe place for them to live, which is ideally how I want to be perceived by them. 

Safety or perceived safety   IE crime drugs homeless etc.

I have not personally found that solar panels are perceived as added value by a buyer.

All of this info can be sourced from online platforms and articles, real estate investment meet-ups, and general networking with folks in the industry.Maybe studying all of this is unnecessary, but at the end of the day, the more you can perceive change in the RE space, the better you can adjust your strategy and criteria to profit in the market.