No soldering skills necessary.The other bonus of PEX is if the property is vacant, there is nothing for the Copper thieves to go after.

Therefore, it shouldn't be examined in isolation.Really what we're looking for is if your activities rise to the level of a trade or business, and if the property was used in that trade or business.It's possible a one off flip (or two, or three) might be capital gain and not ordinary income subject to SE tax. 

I am an accountant by trade, but I started investing in real-estate in 2018.

If the management company is excellent at their craft and they attract and retain top talent in related services (like contractors and agents, since there is a lot of overlap between PM and these fields), then the agents and contractors may be far better than the average agent in that same metro.Conversely, if that PM company is not led by a skilled business tactician they might be tempted to retain a shiza agent in their ranks so that they can capture some referral booty, with no mind to whether or not the end user client is getting good representation.I see both things happen in my market consistently, and though it doesn't create a helpful rule of thumb, hopefully it does help you in your decisions ahead.

I know the US is different, in Canada colleges are mostly for trades (universities do degrees in sciences, arts, etc). 

The skills you gained on this project will no doubt bring you even more success in the future. 

I don't know what (if anything) is trade standard for this field.

Once you get to a point where you can refinance the house, you can pull out some of the equity and use to invest in your next property.If you're feeling like you're ready for some risk, then you can try the route of selling and doing a 1031 exchange to trade up into into a larger property that generates more income (and, more work) for you.

@Cameron Tope, according to IRS rules, in order to qualify "More than half of the personal services you performed in all trades or businesses during the tax year were performed in real property trades or businesses in which you materially participated."

Bonus if it can be turned into an educational how-to guide.The resident can either pay out of pocket for any work needing to be done, or they can let the GNA cover it in exchange for direct principal payments off the original market price purchase.Make a simple guide to what needs to be done on a regular basis, and establish a plan for what the resident can handle, vs what the GNA provides.Create synergy with kids and grandkids to accomplish common/ regular tasks.Opportunity for daycare/ day camp, or even homeschool type services.Opportunity for future continued business partners to take over living on the residence.Preferred scenario, resident pays for material and professional labor, and the GNA provides cheaper labor for easy tasks etc.Residents may pay part of the labor cost, but ideally if the GNA has cash to pay internal employees, then those costs get applied as principal payments.Explore options that let GNA employees trade time for ownership of that specific property, instead of traditional pay, or use it as an overtime bonus.Find ways to incorporate local artists and craftsmen, and make unique projects that incorporate the story of the house as told by the resident.