The contractors that were utilized by the home warranty companies were (in general) not high-quality. 

I would definitely start off by finding a good agent as they usually have good connections with quality lenders, contractors, etc.

Personally, I like to provide a high quality product in a nice neighborhood and subsequently, I intentionally have a strong rental criteria 700+ credit etc so I can weed out the tenants I do not see being a good fit.In regards to best practices, I usually do everything via facebook messenger, text and email but I will probably utilize a google web form moving forward.

For example with an investment based Realtor, property manager, and contractor you should be able to seamlessly invest in property, and you get the added value of making sure that your product is still holding to a quality standard along with being able to see your property and replace team members more easily as well if need be.  

Now I'm not saying that above-average finishes don't attract more buyers to sign on the dotted line, but unless the appraiser notices that quality, the buyer will still need to bring $$ to closing. 

Keep this in mind as it impacts potential rents, quality of tenants you will attract, and the quality of finishes needed for a BRRRR. 

Lowering the bar that much could lead to lower quality property management for would be tenants.

Giving your residents a quality plunger for free may also be a good idea.Next, you need to know why the toilet is backing up. 

Of course you can do bare minimum, but in my experience it all just compounds with a slightly lower quality tenant next round, whom is a little rougher on unit, and then the next turn costs even more.As for Capex, yes, increasing your costs does hurt returns.  

Better quality and holds up well and I can install myself.