I will say that great partners and contractors make a load of difference.

Do folks here just let their contractor handle it?

Tenants & contractors always claim no one called them or they called and no one got back to them.

Tell us where you are from, where you are looking to invest, the strategies you want to pursue, and who you want to network with, be it local investors, agents, lenders, property managers, contractors, or more. 

It all depends on the scope of work and your available time to put towards organizing and finding the right contractors. 

Quote from @Marcellis Mosby:I would bring the contractor with me on that viewing to get the full bid..

If you have any ideas of buying, modifying a note and/or selling them, or not using your own assets to acquire them you'd be in the business which will require you to go through registration or brokerage requirements.

The chimney contractor replaced the cap, but requires the branches be trimmed before he can perform repairs on the chimney because it is still leaking into the fire place after the cap was replaced. 

I'm a radon mitigation contractor who's also certified for testing. 

^This.Also great for contractors, agents, and everything else.