Although you plan on having your mother live in the home to start you'll want to assess the home using the current rental rates and values in the area.

I started my OOS HML  career in Detroit and that was 2002 and WOW coming from our area what an education I got.. my clients that were doing turnkey at the time and all the buyers were out of state ( basically LA based) the local on the ground operator was very good he had all sorts of tricks to try to keep the houses safe.. the one i really liked was painting the copper pipes grey so thieves would not steal them..

@Akil MitchellFrom my experience, when buying a property, it's crucial to assess local building codes, potential de-conversion costs, and permit requirements.

if i buy a rent ready house off the MLS, and put it under management with a good PM... that's basically turnkey too just without the label and the provider.one thing i notice on BP is how many new investors think they're being guaranteed outcomes rather than processes. 

The ones I manage total to 20 bedrooms.These rooms rent for between $125 to $225 per week depending on room size and amenities in the room (beyond basic amenities may include: Desk, Tv, private entry, tenant controlled AC, additional storage).This month after padsplit takes their 14.25% cut of the revenue I am recieving, from the units I own, $15,230 from 3 homes.

STR without ownership is basically a STR PM job for you.  

I'm already familiar with some of the basics of how the markets differ, but I'd be curious to hear what some of you have experienced in regard to any unexpected differences between them. 

Basically every personal house we ever owned except this last one which we built from scratch.

Stick to the basics. 

Assessing brokers based on their transaction history and success in the market carries more weight than simply focusing on the highest price offered.