He ended up hiring a no-nonsense Property Manager, but regularly visited the properties himself and presented himself to the tenants as the sometimes maintenance man.I think you should either cut yourself out of the picture entirely by hiring a PM, or continue to manage yourself and be upfront with the tenant. 

-I could simply charge a flat fee for each of the services I provide (10% management fee, couple hundred bucks for the finding of the place and a couple hundred more for closing the deal, etc)Has anyone out there been in this kind of spot?

I met my fiance 2 years ago by using an online dating service.

I agree with you about wanting to help people first, like Earl Nightingale said: “your rewards in life are in direct proportion to the service you render” and the money may not all come from those you serve.

I'm not always active on BP, but I regularly keep up with email.

@Kevin BBest advice: Call the city's code enforcement:https://www.chandleraz.gov/residents/neighborhood-resources/neighborhood-services/code-enforcementJust say that you had a "family" or group of friends apply to lease your home, but they all seem to be unrelated.

(My wife and I do come up once a month to help out at Camp Geiger at the protestant services both out in the field and at the small white chapel on base)

A few more seasoned investors have told me, perhaps controversially, that most cities place such onerous zoning restrictions and are completely inactive in aiding affordable house because lower income and lower-mid income residents are such a net loss to the cities, i.e. little tax revenue and big consumers of city services.

Im in a similar situation with a municipality, but if you are able to cover health insurance through the service, that makes the transition out of the traditional W-2 much more feasible and also covers all of your bases.  

I like IRA Services Trust Company.