There was little plumbing involved (other than a water line for the washer) or structural changes needed (there was a concrete slab already where the patio was).

Small home repairs and late night phone calls are a minute part of land-lording, there are also a lot of legal aspects involved. - City rental certifications can be required- There is certain paperwork that you need to give someone at the time of signing a lease with them (lead based paint       disclosure and pamphlet, inventory checklist, etc...)- If someone stops paying rent you may need to go through an eviction process- When screening tenants you need to do a thorough check of who you're renting to- There are several Fair Housing laws you need to be aware of when placing a tenantOften times, a PM company will even be able to cover their own cost by receiving the highest rental amount possible for your investment, most likely higher than you could by yourself due to the exposure and avenues they have for marketing.

Peaceful removal: offer her cash-for-keys.Hopefully it doesn’t come to that and she moves out on March 31 and leaves the unit sparkling clean!

As I mentioned, the condo association docs don't prohibit it, but they still may try to block it and get lawyers involved.

He doesn’t want to be involved at all with the property.

And seeing the rough parts of the real estate world might show you which path makes the most sense for you as there are a million ways to get involved in real estate.

Give him a document that you sign that states if he leaves the property vacant, clean and upon giving you the key's you will return his deposit...

It is also owned currently by a company that is involved with real estate. 

Hello all, I think this will be kinda long, so I'm gonna try and give you a quick summary if you don't want to read it all:Current diesel mechanic, just turned 30, living in Austin, TX, looking for more lucrative career options that don't involve $50k and 6 hours/day of college.

It is also owned currently by a company that is involved with real estate.