I had the house in clean and clear condition as to how it was prior to my move-in.

Unless it's in a tough location in the house, I usually do the heater myself - it's pretty clean work and it's not hard.

The way I have done it in the pass is through note purchase agreements recorded to keep the transaction clean. 

Quote from @John Mason: @Andrew Postell Yes it doesThe whole point was that I wanted to buy a house which is inexpensive and convert into an airbnb a year down the line and obviously if I have  a pool with a nice deck it would mean more bookingsExample buy a house without a pool for 300 k, live in it a year and have the pool put in and then change it to STR and move out and buy another house ..I would target a home with an already built in-ground pool, but maybe needs some cleaning and TLC in the backyard.

They are often compensated much less than the cleaning fee the host charges guests.

The only reason that you can get a distressed property under market value is because it is a mess that the owner and pretty much 99% of the population either don't want to or can't clean up.

Check for local stone yards or fabricators too, sometimes they have remnant deals.Appliance-wise, focus on durable, easy-to-clean brands.

Sand, clean, seal and polish.

cleaning fee should be a pass through .

Stay squeaky clean with the IRS and local government agencies like code enforcement, sales tax, etc.