I highly recommend (1) checking Google reviews and (2) asking for DATA to back advertised claims (ex: average turnaround time to close a work order, average tenant satisfaction score, etc.). 

I'm not looking to sue people and get tied up in expensive litigation fees but is it something I should consider?

This can be very expensive and is usually the worst choice because you can't justify the cost.2.

HI John, You can always start off by house hacking meaning you live in one UNIT or ROOM and renting out the other vacant units/rooms to offset your monthly mortgage payment.There are several ways to run and make sure you are maximizing your rental income while keeping your living expense as low as possible.

.), helping them with their bills, while also paying for a beach house STR that is not covering it's own expenses (thank God summer is on the way), and I am carrying $64k in credit card debt with interest that is eating my lunch.  

I have a good income so not desperate for immediate cashflow, but markets with high likelihood of appreciation seem like they’ve gotten so expensive that I won’t even be able to make the 20% down with my 50k budget.

I did this for a year with our one property and while the numbers varied a little they averaged out to be the same.

Expenses: 1.

I’ve also heard Aceable is good for Real estate, but it is more expensive.

If so, the LLC could be a good route to go to separate the expenses and income from yourself, and treat it as a separate business.2.