I've had a recent situation, this is in Georgia and every state's different, where one of my tenants let a 'friend' stay and that friend then refused to move out after 2 weeks. 

I manage long distance, have contractors on speed dial, and several college friends I can call to run over to the house if needed for 50 bucks a trip. 

I have heard great things about them from my friends in Houston. 

Ask friends, local groups, builders, online forums, meetups, investor groups, visit flip job sites, etc.   

and as one ages like a fine wine you figure out that equity is your friend and limit your debt when you can … granted mathematically everyone should do 100% financing and never have an ounce of equity tied up.. but that's just mathematically.. in a down turn like what seems to be running through everyones minds these days because there are a few headline grabbing articles that scare people.. we then start to talk about what to do and how to be positioned...

Move to less expensive housing, cancel all your electronic toys, spend less time and money with friends etc.If you make saving and investing your priority in life you will be amazed at how much money you are actually wasting on useless items every month.  

Very encouraging words my friend!

Ex: using a contractor that a friend had excellent experience with.

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

But there were times I was so tired physically and mentally I HAD to have my friends in certain trades do some work, and they gave me huge breaks on prices.