I'd give the residents the option at a fair price where you're comfortable at.

Setting up an LLC in Texas can give you liability protection without the heavy franchise taxes that California charges, since the Texas franchise tax only applies once your revenue gets past a fairly high threshold.

Is a trip to the area required or should I be able to switch Property Managers from afar fairly easily?

I'm not sure about how old anything else is but it has been remodeled twice before my landlord bought it.I want to give him a fair and reasonable offer on the property.

That said, it "seemed" pretty straightforward to the finish line... 

It’s one of the few markets where out-of-state investors can buy affordable, cash-flowing properties with upside, and the landlord laws here make managing rentals straightforward.

This one number changes everything.If assessment ratio is not used, the formula is straightforward: Estimated Taxes = Market Value x Tax Rate. 

To be fair, her car was ugly.

Buying insurance is pretty simple and straight forward.  

@Nick Copland I list my properties on Furnished Finder and utilize their tenant screening tool for screening applicants, which I find to be very straightforward.