My wife wants to be one, but we don't know which website / area would be the best to go to for getting certified.2) when you bought your first rental(s), did you hire a management company immediately to tend to them, or did you manage them yourself?

After the inherited tenants moved out we hired a contractor to paint, fix small items, and lay new floor.

You can hire a property manager, but that takes 25% off the top.

@Guy Gimenez is correct, hire a lawyer to help you with that.

Scopes of work are essential and per Bruce's comments above, I love using the penalty/bonus feature in my contracts when i hire contractors and have no problem with them as the contractor.

If you are not able to adapt your mindset, then hiring a property manager may be the best option.

@Allen McGlashing I am not planning to hire a Property Manager ( PM) it is my only rental at this time, and right around the corner from my home.

If you are going to hire a collection company and lose 40% thus giving you $6k why don't you talk to her, find out how much she would get from income taxes, and have her give you all that money to settle the debt.

The insured didn't like that so he hired an attorney and spent $5k which resulted in me successfully demonstrating to the attorney why his client wasn't entitled to reimbursement.Long story short, be sure you to understand the risks when buying property with a PIP. 

Does anybody have any advice on how to find someone to hire to be our "boots on the ground" during the renovations?