I suspect she'll be greedy and demand more, so negotiate what you are comfortable with.If that doesn't work, lawyer up and sue.

The scarcity of options that these people have makes them happy to drive a bit to solve their problem while also maintaining their comfort and safety during their stay.

You may have been an indoor employee with air conditioning and a comfortable chair, but sometimes the only work available is being a rough neck in the oil field or some other unpleasant type of hard work. 

So we see ourselves willing to invest to make it more comfortable for our time here.

Again, it's all about what you are comfortable doing. 

Don't limit yourself to targeting 8 units, as @Robert Rixer said focus on the numbers of the deal, and make sure you are comfortable with the risk/reward trade off. 

Milwaukee for a Cali investor is more comfort level(OOS investing) and some form of diversification & speculation.

I've listened to many ways to structure deals and done my own math and (so far) have not been able to make something pencil out in the RE space that was in my comfort zone of risk.

I declined and suggested they move forward with the bid they felt most comfortable with at their own expense but they then seemed to threaten legal action in a veiled manner citing their understanding of Minnesota state law which they feel puts the duty for pest removal on the landlord.

So you are going to have to work through that fear and find a Qi who has the demonstrated experience and protections to make you comfortable.