Great tenants paid on-time good jobs and credit but loved punching holes in my doors. Have replacements for all except a narrow 25.3/4 inch wide by 28 bathroom door. Any remodels out there replacing these?With tenants...

While you CAN do okay with smaller townhome style long term rentals in FWB, BRRRRs tend to be a lot more profitable (and in some cases necessary to have a decent cash flowing rental). 

I've never dealt with a mobile home or a co-op style real estate investment.

My main goal is time freedom, which obviously requires money, but also an investment style that isn't very time intensive long term.

I think that as you continue your journey, you’ll have to determine what is working best for you and your style.

Do you have any others reasons why you think a brick in mortar style brokerage might be better for a newbie?

They are not in violation of the lease if it doesn't say no smoking, but you can ask them not to smoke indoors.  

A lot of little towns use this style, so maybe check to see if there is a hyper-local FB group for your area. 

Saying rental real estate is a good bet is not some sort of Skip Bayless-style hot take - it is generally pretty sensible - and most investors would agree.

We remodeled the 100 year old Spanish bungalow and turned the living room into an extra bedroom, took down a wall in the kitchen to open up the floor plan, and added french doors off the dinning/living room to give it an indoor/outdoor feel.