Other than this unfortunate issue, do they generally take care of the property? 

Short term rental manager aka co-hosting fees are usually 20-30%, mid-term 17-25%, and long term property management fees are 8-10%. 

How do you typically balance cost versus quality when outfitting a property?

Opportunities in real property investment need to be evaluated individually on their own merits.  

There are lots of experienced property owners, lenders, real estate agents, attorneys, tax experts and more here so don't be shy to ask questions and I'm sure an expert in that field will be able to help.

My question: In the original lease it states to make payments via check or money order to the Property management office.

I converted my primary residence into a rental property three years ago.

I had issues with renting out the place earlier, and the current rent doesn't cover even the mortgage interest, let alone other expenses like property tax, insurance etc.

Property is used as a short term rental.

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