It's fine if you don't ever need to cancel, or have any damaged items to return but as soon as you do, their customer service feels nonexistent. 

If it's something as easy as adding a parking pad then I would say it usually can make sense.

We ran into the same issue when we made our Costa Rica investments and didn't really find a good solution for a local mortgage there. 

Are you agent yourself and what makes you say that you'll avoid buying a home under 1000 sqaure feet again? 

From sourcing turnkey rental properties to finding long-term residents, and comprehensive property management, our expert team offers a full-service solution for a truly stress-free investing experience.

It is basically like a wiki page for our company.

So, you are not at limiting your self when buying a new property.

Those are the 2 avenues of research you need to do as your due diligence. 

I think if you are going to keep all three parties involved as owners of the deal long term then you need to separate yourself as a renter and a contractor.

Once you have a property under your belt and it's stable, do it again.