- What are some best practices we should keep in mind to keep maintenance cost of the ADU to the minimum in the long run?

Good to see the city make some practical decisions.  

Networking is always a great practice and you never know who you might meet there and what good information they have to share.

Only difference I see with my practice is outsourcing more services.   

If you do it right, it’s arguably the best market to invest.Purchase: $80k-$130kRent: $1100-$1500 (no rent control in MI)1% rule: .9%-1.4% rule dealsCoc ROI: 5-12%Total ROI: 20-40%Cash flow: $50-$250/door (after all expenses and budgeting for maint, capex, vacancy)Appreciation: 3-10%+ (has been double digit for a decade)Location: C+, B-These numbers are based on the “sweet spot” in Metro Detroit.

Bay Area, did a local renovation where I was able to do walk throughs with the contractor, and have pretty good control of this property, can check on it multiple times a week.

Most LLCs are set up for liability protection or similar non-tax reasons, and especially in CA, the penalties for "non authorized" practice of law are steep that a lot of CPAs will not even form the LLC for their clients. 

Take the basic course requirements, complete the modules, and when its time to register for the state exam you can order a real estate exam question workbook from Amazon and use that to practice. 

So although you have HOA dues, sometimes it isn't enough and you don't have control over that cost (if it goes up, special assessments, etc.).2.

We moved a lot of the work inhouse to have full control of the timelines.