I could have hired a pro, completed the work in under 30 days, and then collected five months of rent, which would have paid for the contractor and freed up my time.I learned a lot from the experience and don't regret it, but I'm aware of my limitations and more selective about what I take on. 

When you said your friend had a mediator get involved and that helped the situation get resolved, are you saying they hired an attorney to draft up a 5 day notice?

The customer always thinks they're right and they're used to dealing with customer service reps from large corporations like Amazon etc. and don't always understand the perspective of the host as an actual person. 

I did speak with a rep from Steadily and he said that they don't offer the househack/home-sharing insurance option for CA. 

Hiring the right people is key.

It is important that you hire professionals who have experience working with foreign investors.

So based on this, the tenant is allowed to take a shot at fixing the door jambs any way they feel is acceptable, and if it is not to my liking upon their exit, I can then hire someone to remedy the situation and fix it to my liking.what is this nonsense? 

I just want enough stable revenue to pay yearly expenses, hire a property management team, and pay the debt preferably in 5-10 years.

All it takes is for you to slip up once and somebody to hire a predatory attorney.

I am a sponge and will take all the good advise you would like to share regarding; avg. commission %, conditions of exclusive buyer rep agreement, your thoughts on locations, any on and off market properties you have, and possibly figure if we can build a team to make a dent in this wild real estate market we are in.