It's not just a matter of friendliness or participation.

Your success will be determined by the strength and friendliness of the HOA.  

I downloaded free trial yesterday and it seems leaps and bounds ahead of quickbooks/peachtree, in terms of user friendliness as well.

When deciding between the two I know some that favor Ohio due to it's landlord friendliness, but that all depends on how much of an advantage an investor views that as.

I'm inclined to lean that direction unless you're dealing with way more than 4 properties.Ultimately, it's down to your own level of risk tolerance and comfort level.If you do decide you need an LLC, my research has led me to believe that Wyoming is a pretty clear winner in terms of cost, simplicity, reporting requirements, investor friendliness and state laws.

I know I want Florida for the retirement friendliness of the state.

A huge part of the reason that as a newbie I was drawn to BP was the sense of community and overall friendliness and willingness to help.

Hawaii has better weather, closer and better nature, less crowded beaches, world class surfing and diving better than any place in Cali, with better city life going to some (not all) of the Cali cities listed.Don't even get me started on California tax treatment and business friendliness.

Your professional appearance and your friendliness will help you.  

There are great technology tools to help bridge this gap, but (from my research) I have been underwhelmed by the tenant friendliness of most of these applications.