In our experience, the #1 mistake landlords make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.

Or hire a PM company to manage for you?

There is one city where I rent some houses and almost everyone that calls ask who the PM is and say they won't rent from anyone that uses X company as their PM.  

I called my local insurance company, as well as two major companies and was told "good luck." 

Rinse and repeat as many times as life allows, or convert to buying pure investments.Consider employment with a property management company.

I would eat the costs and fix the yard and either install a sprinkler or pay a PM company to water it.

Are there any good property management companies that are familiar with Section 8? 

The other tenants would call the management company on Saturday to report the air conditioning failure and were told that a service person would fix the problem on Monday. 

I own a home improvement company and also completed a flip with great ROI.

It took some digging, working closely with a title company, and negotiating with multiple parties to get it resolved, but in the end, it was a great learning experience—and a successful deal!