I'm from Pittsburgh, but I think a lot of midwest cities have a similar dynamic.

In addition, to just understanding the dynamics of property managers in this market I feel as though mine is under delivering but doing research I am not seeing much reputable ones specifically in this area.

If I added up all of the mistakes I made investing in real estate, most of them came in my first few deals as I was learning, so keep in mind that a lender is going to want to see some skin from you in the game...particularly in the beginning.

I don't know much about the state, but I have heard that it has a diverse and dynamic real estate market.

You won't make money in this game until you put some skin in the game and throw money at a few different things, evaluate how they work and how better to improve them, etc.  

Having a minimum of 30% skin in each deal is a good goal to reach for, but with less experience the higher the percentage will be needed for cash in the deal.

I'm just worried about getting in over my head on the rehab side, and relying too heavily on a project manager that doesn't really have skin in the game.

A hard money lender might be able to help but you would need some skin in the game. 

They only consider the SE tax savings, not the other dynamics, and that conversation is always eye opening for them.

That's the risk she took but she really didn't understand the dynamics of Big City Investing.It's a different world in the big City.