So I offered to pay for the flight, if they returned a clean and empty house.

We used to provide washer and dryer, but tenants washed greasy, oily work clothes leaving the washer unusable until cleaned, or clogged the pump requiring disassembly to remove obstruction.  

Also, our properties are commercial so it's not like I'd need to go to a duplex and sweep and clean the place.IMHO my CPA is not conservative at all. 

Build a local team for cleaning and repairs to streamline operations.

On 1/2 price days I spend $250 and get nice clean clothes only with retail value of around $2,000.  

At that point I dont know investing would make any sense, I have heard scary stories I was thinking about short term rentals but that needs constant cleaning after guests and conpetition is very high my friend spent almost 200k out of pockets to buy a property for airbnb and he got 17 bookings per year....

Cleaned up house but didn't have to do much.

The BAM family is very well rounded with a clean track record. 

When they move out, I can access their account to charge for cleaning and repairs.

As long as it cleans my bum I don't really spend a lot of time thinking about it, and I suspect most of your guests won't either.