So, self-managing may not be the best choice unless you are going to be able to dedicate the time to initially set up the property, get good vendors in place, and optimize your digital presence on all the booking sites.

That got me thinking - do you offer any suggestions to your clients for services to help them set up their properties?

I would prefer to have a cost set signed off on by a engineer that I know will stand up to an audit vs a DIY option

You can have that list sent to your email and then sort the list by highest to lowest in transactions and you should be able to see the best areas to target.

I had a complete set of Adu plans accepted by building dept for under $1500 total.

I recently toured TN for a couple weeks, was a "deep-dive tour" and Franklin was one of our target tour's, not for investing but for residence.

Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsBest of luck here at BP Nation.

Who are your targeting?

Cash-Flowing duplexes are hard to come by in a market like Austin.Hopefully, you have a good relationship with your family so you can rely on them if necessary but you can absolutely manage long distance if you set up the right tools and have the right relationships. 

Quote from @Tony Huynh: Set standards and stick to them.