As @Sheryl Sitman also suggested, I'm trying to get out there more often to monitor my own contractors work.

@Alex Deacon how many months of observation did it take and what factors do you monitor to understand your market that well?

This would be like monitoring AVR, cashflow, etc.)

There are usually some good, local investors that monitor those forums.

You also need to clearly state it in your listing and I would also place a sign in the space that says 24/7 video monitoring. 

He's unresponsive, and we have monthly reoccurring expenses as well as one-off expenses that I am getting stuck with. 

Few factors that drove me to mf right out of the gate: 1) only get so many Fannie/Freddie loans on traditional financing so I wanted as many doors under each loan as possible 2) can consolidate cap ex protects like new roof/siding (though keep in mind, bigger/taller property will mean more $$ for each project than a sfh--though still cheaper as a whole) 3) closing costs are roughly the same for a sfh or triplex so better to get a 3 for 1, 4) especially if youre out of state like I am, easier to track and manage everything for 6 units in two properties rather than 6 separate properties (I use property management but you still need to monitor/manage the pm).

Always pay attention to your property manager's performance because there's no way I or my team can monitor thousands of properties in dozens of states. 

Costar monitors both time logged in and IP addresses to see if anyone is sharing access.

As animal proof as it can be (yard also) and monitor closely.