This whole post seems extremely disjointed.

I personally try to automate as much as possible and rely on great/trusted handymen, cleaners, etc. on the ground that can take care of anything that comes up and let me know about the state of the property.

However, you should never just trust information provided by either any platform or the applicant directly.

If you have the money and you can do something with it in California and you trust that the money will grow more there, then that's what I would do 

When reaching out, it helps to offer value in return—think about tasks like checking on properties when they can't, delivering materials, finding reliable contractors, or even handling basic project management tasks.Building genuine relationships and showing you're willing to contribute will go a long way in earning their trust and gaining hands-on experience.

It can be time-consuming and challenging if you try to do everything on your own, so partnering with a trusted team can make all the difference.

Verifying last 2 years of rental history and income extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.Section 8: All the S8 “gurus” promote putting S8 tenants into this Class of cheap properties to “get rich”.

Extremely helpful 

You could use an LLC, Trust, personal name, etc. 

There are some things that are extremely useful.