If you can become friends with someone with a license who looks at dumps, they would love company on some of those trips and a potential client as you learn.

Sounds like a whole lot of issues over nothing as someone with 45 units blinds and a few holes are the least of your worries the turn over and vacancy cost to replace a tenant would far exceed some minor miscellaneous cosmetics.

What is the typical amount someone might ask for so that it wouldn't seem unreasonable? 

Typically we have paid appointment setters based on specific KPI’s which are typically getting the appointments setup.If they bring the lead but someone else cannot close it that is really not in them.

I decided to place ads requesting to enter a rent to own agreement with someone willing to accept the down payment over the 4 yr lease in installments made with the monthly rent.

Keep that knife sharp instead and find someone who is good at multi family or large scale operations and park your money there. 

From most OOS investors I am speaking to this is where most of the attention is, so be prepared for competition - seems that this forum was revived from the dead but to answer the original question with a few practices you can manage the air-bnb yourself to get higher occupancy, I would recommend educating yourself on tricks for the platform those will make the biggest difference - definitely helps having someone take care of your air-bnb account and for completely hands off investing do that but just previewing/welcoming who comes in can be done remotely in a professional manner I have seen it done in multiple states. 

Just looking for someone who has actually used their services to vouch (or not) for them.

I’ve looked at some on market properties there, for example a 4 bd 2 bath home in Morgantown, 26505. the Small area Fmr is 1900/mo for a 4bd unit.

If you don't know, don't guess and bring in someone that understands these programs.