Direct lenders are great for portfolio style loans, investors that do significant transactions and have a banking relationship. 

I think I was having a hard time seeing the value of turnkey properties because of my personality style with regards to investing and wanting to trade up quickly.

I work with a lot of MTR investors and what I am seeing frequently with multifamily acquisitions, particularly with new investors, is that they often test the property just like you're mentioning, as a way to dip their toes in the water and see what works in their area and for their personal style.

Your life style has lead you to this situation and you must change your lifestyle in order to be successful with real estate. 

I'd recommend interviewing multiple PM's and seeing which one fits your style and expectations.

I think the A frame idea works great for this setting, but some have said the A frame style steeper peaked roof works better. https://www.instagram.com/redtail_cabins_adu/

My goal is to build a data-driven tool that provides actionable insights into which neighborhoods and property types are in the highest demand, based on metrics like:Time on market: How quickly rentals are being leased.Property characteristics: Bedrooms, bathrooms, size, and amenities.Pricing trends: Rental rates relative to market demand and property features.Visual quality: Leveraging property photos to analyze the style and condition of rentals that perform well.The tool will allow users to:Pinpoint areas with the fastest rental turnovers.Understand what types of properties (size, price range, features) rent the quickest.Gain deeper insights into property presentation and amenities that correlate with high demand.Thank you in advance for your feedback.

They also utilize a department management style instead of the traditional portfolio management style. hahaThat roo sure is buff lolI didn't know that about Yelp.We usually get our investors to post on Google, Facebook and Turnkey-Reviews.I guess we need to request Yelp now also :)You learn something new everyday Speak soonps.

It might be that this couple that owns the house is just getting their feet wet with having someone else managing the property and they want to get comfortable with your management style as being what they want.

Location. 25 minutes to beach, 40 minutes to Florence, 15 minutes to Pisa, 60 miles to snow skiing.  10 minutes to Home Depot style store, etc.