We use property management, largely because we've been overseas for 16 years, and the PM handles marketing, collection of rents, property maintenance, and tenant screening. 

Their meetings/conferences, like many association meetings I attend, are a bit frustrating, but their forms, hotline, and screening service are well worth the small membership fee.

That's exactly what I did when I was in your situation...I would 100% do it again...Things I did well-Found one that was a for sale by owner that needed some work - gave me a lot of rehab experience-Fixed rental side first then lived in and worked on my side-Use Postlets and Craiglist plus yard sign to advertise vacancy-Change my voicemail message to explain all details of property = saved me many calls explaining the same thing.Things I would do differently-Read the tenant screening book on this site first -Always do open houses instead of individual appointments-Ask people to bring their dogs if you allow to appointments-The location of house was great for all things in my life; but would consider moving sooner to have multiple duplexes with owner occupied financing

You have a screen your notes, borrowers, etc. 3. 

Do you just want someone who is handy that can fix some of the problems that will arise or are you looking for someone who will list the property, screen the tenants, etc.  

Aside the usual due diligence/screening and placement of tenants, payment of property taxes etc, what are other items I need to point out to him during our meeting?

He had no tenant screening process no background checks and so on. 

PM or no PM, screening tenants is critical.

Also screening tenats in a duplex can have issues have you experienced those in the oakland home or has it been all good?

Doing a good deed once for someone is appropriate, but once someone does a good deed for the same person on a routine basis, then the person doing the good deed begins to feel pressure on themselves to keep doing it, because now they think it’s expected of them, and they don’t know how to “get out of it” Thus, bitterness develops, anger, and a lashing out, which ends up in “Bad Blood” between them.