I have had several cases where I finally got cops or government officials to only do their job after being very loud to the newspapers, but it does work.  

Each property comes with its own set of risks and every investor must understand those risks and do the minimum - get 3rd party inspections, 3rd party appraisals, verify rents, jobs  and crime rates at city-data.com - before buying.

I allow pets and charge a pet rent of $35 a month, its nice bit of extra money and pet owners tend to stay longer as tenants.

It could be a nice opportunity however I would be certain they will want you to make up the difference between $250,000 and whatever is left on the mortgage which btw in my opinion should be done with lender's knowledge and approval. 

My wife and I have a W2 job. 

Don't let the plywood fool you - the interior pictures on the listing are nice.

Free accommodation is nice.  

Do you have a nice big building like a beautiful wooden barn or pavilion?

I think they've done a great job of building their product and if you already have a property listed on Airbnb, it's super easy to import to MiniStays (though it's not difficult to list your property there if you don't.)

I suggest that you make it a point of finding a good lender, not just someone who can do the job of helping your clients buy their home but someone who is willing to teach you.