He has a companion who he has been going south to Arizona for the winters with for a few years and I hear they traveling more. 

Wayne you are so incorrect, they sold me an item at auction they must produce the item.Wayne not everyone will travel 1200 miles to see something in person now that we are in the internet age!

Since you are a couple hours away and could do some of the travel yourself, what about a handyman instead of a PM?

Most people who start tracking probates (or diets or try to quit smoking) will give up way too soon.

Make sure you hang plastic to build a containment around your work area because the aerosol epoxy dust travels far and gets on everything!  

Also, just because we were allowing the plants did not mean we were okay with them smoking in the house.  

It's basically a self inspection sheet verifying the basics like smoke detectors, etc., I fill it out and send back to them with a $94 check for each of my rentals in that city.

To meet code you may need a total rewire, but that's still better than smoking the place.

I also feel like I am not able to compete for any hot deals because I can only go down there once a month.Considering the travel costs for scouting properties and the fact that I most likely have to hire a property manager for my rental property am I approaching this the wrong way?

Many of us have already tried to travel that road including 'yours truly'.The rehab costs will be more than the purchase of the property when you look in this price range.