I'm going to present the opposite side of the argument here than others (always good to hear a devil's advocate response :)...I have my real estate license.

u guys kill me. i was thinking of starting a thread on this just the other day, but did not have the time.so, speaking of my keys, here's what i do. i get the kwiqkset key for all my doors and houses. it can be re-keyed and i essentially use just one key to enter all houses. they are $50 for a deadbolt and a lock. both can be re-keyed.here comes the problem.. they have started to give me trouble. it started a month ago when i had to let the city inspector in and i could not open the deadbolt. the bottom opened, but not the deadbolt.went to the back door and the opposite was happening - opened the deadbolt, but not the lock. the city charged me $50 for a missed appt. i have since found issues with the other houses. and i am pissed. i have spent over $500 on locks and the company said "you have to drill them out if you can't open them".locksmiths all over know this issue. amazon reviews confirm the issues. amazing concept, but poorly executed.that's why Schlage discontinued their re-key version. too many issues and customers getting pissed off.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!

Whereas it is somewhat opposite out here in Colorado.

In my case, two opposite areas, San Antonio (Bexar County) & Austin (Travis County).

I had a realtor suggest 10% of the prehab budget, but that does not incent him to keep the cost down, quite the opposite.  

A NON-investor reacts the opposite way; they see others' investing success, and they're either disinterested, or actively repulsed. 

Looks like I'm late to the party...I'm assuming you've already found something at this point, but if you haven't, I have a suggestion for the bold that is the opposite of most of the advice I've seen in this thread; at 300k your best bet is a fourplex on the East side, 78724 area.

The great thing is they tend to be opposite field.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it.We have a 12 page management contract that we've added our real experiences to over the years, with the intent of protecting both us AND the landlord.