In terms of creative ideas, you could look into leveraging that construction experience and partnering on a deal to ease the initial capital need.

I'd be seeking someone to fund the down payment of the deal and I would be responsible for property management/bringing in funds for initial renovations for a profit/split.

My initial reaction is that it costs $150,000 to add an extra door in a premium location, but I am interested to hear thoughts. 

With 400K my initial thought is doing a BRRR/Flip that is close enough for you to be hands on.

It is easy to initiate a trustee-to-trustee transfer between firms.

But for the most part, we have divided our properties as we initially had planned. it was great working with him.

I would start with them.I am not based in LA, so I don't know your exact laws, but I think I can still provide some initial direction for you to find answers, and maybe offer an idea to research.  

You might consider hard money for the initial purchase or going with a DSCR type lender if you find something that is more turnkey.Hey!

Initially my thought process was having them fill out an application through Zillow before touring the property, but I could see how that can turn people off to come to the showing.

More repair costs because their maintenance team somehow "missed" things during the initial turnover.At this point, I genuinely started wondering what exactly the 15% management fee was for.The Bottom LineLook, I get it—REI Nation is a business, and businesses are here to make a profit.