If they can give you answers relating to the dangers of violating the B&P Code, how to mitigate these dangers as much as possible through the way the contract is drafted, how to find a wholesale-friendly escrow company, what contracts are required for a wholesale, etc... then you found the right one.

But there might be a way that I'm not aware.The best advice i can give you is to spend the time to do a good screening before choosing a tenant to mitigate this in the future.Best of luck

Flipping isn’t cheap either, unless you have a partner to help mitigate risk you still need reserves.Get POF from hard money but think long and hard about what you will be doing with little to no money in the bank

If you feel good about the risks and your mitigation strategy , you should have enough confidence in moving forward.Remember that even after your decision, you should reassess the risks so that you can mitigate them going forward.

I'm trying to weigh not just the potential savings in dollars but the value of risk mitigation and having him in the loop since he also does my taxes and estate planning. 

It's those maniacs that buy homes cash via quit claim deed off of craigslist that really get screwed.Make sure your property manager is a licensed real estate brokerage.Understand you can not eliminate all risk, only mitigate it.

The hope would be that this would mitigate some risk and hopefully drive growth (and yes, I am aware that means less money in my pocket).

This damage is equal to the current cost to repair/mitigate the issues.

Which makes me wonder why here in Los Angeles there is an extreme housing shortage, rents are going through the roof, the state recently passed an law making Accessory Dwelling Units easier to build in an effort to mitigate the the housing shortage, property values are at a level at or above the housing bubble peak. 

Cash flow is just one part of real estate investing. having a mortgage certainly makes you mitigate more risk, but it can be used to make a LOT LOT LOT more moneythat's why it's called 'leverage'