I work diligently to improve my credit score, and to automatically set money aside. 

If it's a smaller property, you might be able to get away with just a handyman, but he's got to be able to collect rents for you if you don't have a way of automatically collecting them from tenants, such as direct debit, if that's legal where you are looking.  

Your agent can set up an automatic search for All new listings, or just for REO's.

There are also loans where they will give you 1-5 at 4% and then it automatically goes to 6% in year 6 to 10.What I am saying is do not leave it open where a bank can just charge market and it is really high in year 6.

I modified and expanded it to meet my needs for each of my properties and I now have a monthly automatic withdrawal go into savings every month so I can build my reserves to pay for expensive things that need to be replaced/upgraded.  

Put the $1k in a DIFFERENT BANK than you normally use, and start saving with an automatic contribution to that account, so your subconcious doesn't "see" the money in your account and figure that it needs to be spent.Interest rates; yes, mortgage interest rates are likely to go up in the future, but so will your CC interest rates.

I automatically don't trust the companies who leave them off and only work with ones who do (far from my only criteria with a company, but it's a huge red flag). 

The tenants each can pay separately with their debit cards and it automatically gets deposited into my account.

Totally unfair as the banks would automatically begin to own all the prime, beach front properties as the home owners bail out and go into Foreclosure.

Check your state codes as they may state that a lease is automatically terminated in the case of a death.You can not bring her back.