What ideas do you have around retention?

Let your criteria do the filtering for you.Regarding retention and renewals, the only time I have asked people to leave is when they have had rent payment issues and/or damaged the property. 

Does anyone have a good effective 3rd party mailing company to send mailers direct to seller?

@Dwight HenningRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

@Kyle Carter People hit on the obvious, hype and excitement of a large name company like apple moving to an area. 

Personally, I like to target 30% equity retention in each deal.- Section 8 income isn't guaranteed.

Total waste of time company.

Of course, you should switch companies if you are unhappy with their services. 

It may sound nice to pay a 6% management fee but the extra fees can add up to be more than the other company that charges 10% with no additional fees.

I think it would be beneficial to set up your own management company to manage your assets.