I'd do my research for property management for your own knowledge by going online, checking references and getting on the phone with the company and make sure they understand your needs and exactly what you're looking to get out of an investment.

It can never earn a penny more than the mortgage interest rate you paid off.

Is it earning $150,000 a year flipping houses?

Is there any way a tenant can pay online?

You can find a summary of Rich Dad online and read that.

My earned commission would wash out most commissions offered on the listing side if I had to go that route. 

You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

In the past we have given our private lenders a 1099-Misc to report their earnings with us for the year.

If you need more ways to find motivated sellers and properties, I wrote a few BiggerPockets blog posts about finding them online, offline, and through relationships, that you might find helpful:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814/72016-55-resources-to-find-real-estate-deals-onlinehttps://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814/71506-27-ways-to-find-off-market-and-wholesale-real-estate-deals-offlinehttps://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814/72664-35-relationships-to-help-you-find-more-houses-to-flip-or-wholesaleInterested to hear how you’ve been, in terms of the cold calls and D4D since you started. 

Someone familiar with the area and flood plain maps should be able to compare the maps and various online resources (google earth) and have a pretty good idea if it is in or out.