I haven't had much luck finding many of these types of folks in my area: most are expensive, they come and go frequently, so you have to keep a list 5+ deep to make sure timely service is achieved.Anyway, those of you who've "been there, done that" in a slower growth mode like I am describing...what's your story of managing growth?

Cameras are a great deterrent and will help you catch someone if they try something.I would be concerned about safety of my tenants and liability when I rent that home to someone else.

House shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the best time because most people are in holiday mode so you can get a better deal than spring shopping.Keep your mortgage and take out a HELOC.

I have talked with Building and Safety already to see about permits.  

And don’t worry about the flares, they are a safety mechanism.

We have done quite a bit of research, but don't want to get into the "analysis paralysis" mode, so we've decided to search for people who could help us on this journey.  

Would anyone recommend keeping my personal umbrella as another layer of safety?

It is a safety hazard to have too many people in a property.

First priority is safety and if you are honest with the inspector, they will help you.

Usually it revolves around life-safety features like smoke detectors, egress, etc, but depending on the locale can include that it’s reasonably clean, no broken windows, etc.