I highly recommend self managing.

With that being said, if you have high risk tolerance and are young, this seems like a good place to start.

In addition, investors may also seek out of state markets because their state is not landlord-friendly or the taxes are extremely high where they're from. 

I work with a couple of high net worth individuals who want to get into hard money lending but don't want to vet the deals, find investors to work with, etc.

I have searched high and low for services (Doorstead, Craigslist) but it seems no one is offering that level of service, or if they do I don't trust they can deliver considering my specific needs (experience with potential section 8 type community) in an increasingly gentrifying part of town.

Is this typical or is this quite high?

I keep hearing examples about paying contractors $15k for a rehab that adds $40k of value, and similar numbers, which seems highly unlikely to me.

I prefer a satin finish in high-moisture areas like the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry.I like Benjamin Moore paints, but there are other good brands out there.

At first I had a hard time trusting -- the prices it set for high-demand periods seemed impossibly high, and the prices for low demand shoulder seasons seemed way too low. 

High 5's but still.