Folks use an LLC for anonymity and liability protection.

I'd highly encourage you to reach out to folks providing value to other people in the forums and see if they're accepting clients at this time.

-Do folks have ideas about the best ways to source (i.e. find an option seller) for such deals?

The area affected would be over 100 acres of un-entitled land. 

Most folks have a w2 job

How do folks make the ceiling dry and fix it?

He thinks he's on top of something and degrading you, you don't give your time to folks that disrespect you.

For more info, check out the law itself AB968: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB968/id/2764362 https://www.car.org/riskmanagement/qa/New-Laws/2024-New-LawsAll of the "owner-builder" folks that would get permits for work and then hire unlicensed, uninsured, discount companies to do the work for as cheap as possible will pivot. 

If you have enough rentals or do it for long enough, you'll run into folks who take advantage of the system.

If you just look on Zillow, pick a random property, buy it, and turn it over to people you don't know to manage it, it's extremely likely that you will: have it cost a lot more than you thought, get overcharged for things, lose money, and have a big chunk of your savings just stuck in the property not really doing anything for you.Not to discourage you, or to say that you would do what these folks did, but here is what NOT to do OOS:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1160450-run-i...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/1167190-strug...I hope this helps - happy to dialogue further.