I can tell you from experience the real challenge is the distance between the lots/homes.

Feel free to connect with me directly and I would be happy to share their contact information for 2nd liens, not first. 

you have first hand experience with managing STR's without a property manager?

I would like to hear your experience.

@Todd Hutcheson I've been calling lots of landlord on Facebook and Craigslist, but haven't seen a ton of success from it yet, but it is definitely great experience.

It is the only way to gain financial independence.I hope you read the sarcasm in that comment.I will assume you have more experience over time than just the 4 units you currently own.  

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

"Going to a classroom won't change anything unless the student takes ownership of their learning experience" would be something one of my professors would say and he encouraged us to be lifelong learners emphasizing the idea to continue reading books after college was over for us.

I appreciate all the feedback and experiences.

Feel free to reach out if you need some help.