It's a pain putting together the boots/eyes on the ground and self-manage. 

Accounting for the cost of selling 12%, realtor fees 5% ish, 25% recapture tax which is not adjusted by inflation (the longer you hold it, the more painful the tax will be), and CAPEX, the profits by selling a buy and hold are low. 

Do your HW on the front-end to prevent pain down the road.8.)

By doing so, you can avoid a lot of pain and effort and greatly increase your chance of success.

Find out their pain: Do they dislike their current manager or hate managing it themselves?

Are they a pain?

Installing glass block window, but a contractor told me they're a pain inside a shower and not worth the expense - and again, I would have to have tile/grout, and that might get nasty with tenants3.

I have ZERO experience but I do have a sharp mind and amazing mentors who are willing to guide me.

Are these tenants a pain, calling the owner often, damaging property, etc, or is it case by case where it strictly depends on that tenant.

Also, you will hear many of their pain points and determine where you can bring value.