In the meantime, my brother and I would fix up the home and get it ready to become a rental as well.

I will never get the full picture.

I have wanted to get into RE for some time now and finally decided to take it seriously. 

- What should I do to get the rent paid, including past rent?

Toughen up or get a PM!

Check the competition manually on Vrbo and Airbnb to get the most accurate numbers possible.Google the enemy method if you don't know how to do it.

They get no sympathy from me if they crash and burn.  

Thanks for the mention @Nathan Gesner@Jodi-Ann Birch we don't do business up in Flint, but we have encountered Gebrael Management a few times as they've tried to do business in Metro Detroit.They seem to have good processes, but please validate they will meet your expectations.Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

We see when it's a group of friends they usually keep each other accountable with paying rent, but we get their parents information in case it's needed. 

Having a  9 to 5 on the side helps a lot in getting funding!!