Just because duct tape, wire, and spray foam is how your dad used to fix things, does not mean this will work.Like to paint?

The #'s have been pretty solid and it's a lot easier to manage than short term rentals or multifamily. 

He had to build a new ceiling to make the cabinets work, but apparently the ceiling isn’t level and he used the bevel molding to shave down to make level instead of as the finishing touch it was supposed to be.

It's shaving off a solid chunk - 100k (20% down) off a 500k condo in a city like Irvine.

To piggy back what other s have said.  

The other beauty of it is that I build high quality construction, 2 x 6 exterior walls with blown in foam, 5/8's decking, architectural shingles, upgraded fixtures, expensive toilets that never clog, low-maintenance exteriors, etc.

If you are going to paint, I would suggest having the doors and boxes sprayed {if possible} rather than trying to paint them with a brush and/or {foam} roller.

Civic would shave 10% off of the gross rent when calculating the DSCR and use PITIA, even though they were IO loans, so it had its downfalls too (I'm very well versed with Civic loans, I have completed 150 or so as a broker).

Keep a 2” memory foam topper in the unit.

Each bedroom should cost less than $1000=$400 (new Zinus 12” foam bed and metal foundation frame), $250 (43” tv), $100 (desk), $100 (used dresser and mirror), $50 lamp/hangers/towels/sheets/blanket/pillows.