I avoid places that I’d need to have a house full of junk hauled out (hoarder home) or needs flooring work/walls/ceiling/roof or foundation work.Then I sign off on the fixes, rent rate and ultimately the tenant with my PM team.

Most of the guests at our house also spend the majority of the time in that area (except the twin boys next door, they go straight for the toys in the kids' bedrooms).The further away you are from the main living spaces, the less important paint colors are.

So that is good (and helpful)... but the tendency is for your spending to increase as your income goes up... new car, toys, trips, bigger personal house, etc., so a big part of your plan is how well you can control your impulses and stick to a long term plan. 

@Amanda Toy Thanks for clearing things up.

I hauled wood for the stove, hauled snow to melt fir water, dug outhouses every few years, changed the propane tanks as needed so we could have lights.

How easy is the place going to be to maintain over the long haul (once I dial it in)?

My theory is that when most people say "I need a market" what they are actually saying is I want a B class area (30k income plus) with a lower price point (100-250k median home value) that is growing in population/jobs/median income so rents over time will increase and I'll on the long haul I'll have market appreciation (in addition to being able to force market appreciation). 

Then let your tenants pay the loans down for you over the long haul while you enjoy the tax benefits now (if there are any left under the new administration).

The tree removal took two guys two hours maybe, burned some in the yard, hauled away the rest, $1900!

That's not to say that they can't cash flow today but you should be looking at the local haul.