I lucked up and found out a friend of my family lives 9 mins away from my property who was happy to make extra income. 

I maybe would've shaved off $5-10K extra in reno is all that I could've done.

However, what extra steps do i need to take to make sure she will do as she says?  

In PA this does not go to an overage fund or surplus proceeds fund.. instead.. in an upset sale any amount bid over the minimum starting bid in the Upset Sale will be applied to liens against the property in order of position… since the min bid includes all municipal, back taxes and county liens.. then would it be correct to stated that this extra 10k would go toward the remaining Morgage amount (if applicable) IRS liens, cigarette and sales tax liens etc..? 

The solution from Hostaway was to wait for the next onboarding call and they would add some extra time, which was not helpful for about a week. 

I personally never hear stories of the turn key provider spending extra sound proofing between units or investing in better quality fixtures or other high touch building materials so that the end buyer can enjoy reduced maintenance costs and better tenant engagement.

I just wanted to get some extra details to make sure I'm relaying the information correctly.

You'd just need to be extra diligent about your research and have a solid team on the ground there.

Once you have the difference, assuming that both options fully pay the mortgage, consider wether or not all the little tasks you do daily while self managing are worth the extra income.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!