Is anyone else aware of reasonable alternatives?

Still lots of work to do on the house and the “book” I still have to figure out what to do for it (paper/digital/both), and a few more things I probably am not yet aware of … reading on this forum and asking questions sure has helped out a lot.

I also tried to help you with PM I'm aware of them all 99% are terrible and will charge you 3k to replace a furnace when the real cost is about 1600.

Slip and falls are a leading liability concern a property owner should be aware of and snow removal is not something to cheap out on. 

What pitfalls or challenges should I be aware of when scaling up quickly?

The carrier rating for Obie policies range from A+ to A-.You are probably aware that many carriers are leaving the State of California due, in part, to the significant regulatory challenges they have with making adjustments to their products that the state always has to review and approve.

Some of the discounts are good, but just be aware that you will be paying a payment processing fee on top of the discounts. 

I'm looking for an agent that is intimately aware of these markets.

I think if you set up your platform listings appropriately you will do well.You could also contact local wedding and event coordinators and make them aware of your listing.

Early last year, one of our borrowers, an extremely experienced rehabber who had recently been diagnosed with diabetes, informed us that he’d been in and out of the hospital so frequently that he wouldn’t be able to complete the flip we had loaned on as first position lenders.We were aware that he had borrowed an additional $110k from a second-position lender.