But I see HOA as a $50/month bill and occasional thorn in my side, and I'm not even sure a rental cost or decision would be based on HOA.

Occasionally I'll have someone call who said a friend saw the ad and told them to call.

Occasionally I’ll get asked to bring more.

They often (but not always) will accept financed offers, but pre-approval with the offer is usually required.Alternatively, some of the small/local banks will occasionally sell some of their repos themselves without listing them with a Realtor.

I could probably find better commission splits for when I occasionally do some Realtor work, but I enjoy having no office fees.

For HUD-VASH (the VA run program to help vets with Section 8 vouchers), the paperwork and standard of unit is virtually identical, but with the added support of your tenant having an assigned social worker who regularly visits them at their home, and occasionally will bring in other service providers if needed. 2+ Bedroom units tend to be in much lower demand for HUDVASH though, so bear that in mind if you're purchasing an SFR. 

And the occasional fire.

Make sure the tenant uses their own materials and is not assigned to do the job on a particular day - this can blur the line between "independent contractor" and "employee", which could affect things like you having to pay payroll taxes or workman's comp. 

The downside is that most loan lives are capped at 5-years to repay, though occasionally a plan will allow loans for primary residences that are extended to 15-year repayments.

I think the RE boom of the last several years has totally blurred the lines between bros and pros.