Should I offer to pay them for their consultation, or are these types of questions common as part of the PM vetting process and is a "courtesy service"?

I met with him the next day and made an offer in the range of $40,000 to $50,000.

It is important to look for locations with strong economic growth, rising demand for housing, employment, vacation and infrastructure developments, as well as properties that offer the potential for value appreciation or steady cash flow.

Thanks again, and will be grateful for any more info you offer.   

He reminded me that he had come out a month earlier and offered to help identify the leak, but my tenant told him they had already checked and didn’t find anything (an oversight on my tenant’s part).

It has been my path to financial independence, but I mostly am not looking in San Diego currently and I get many off market offerings daily (so even below retail the hold is cash negative).  

Craig Curelop's "House Hacking Strategy" and Brandon Turner's "The Multifamily Millionaire" offer strategies for owner-occupied investments.Good luck!

You could/should offer a small non-refundable EMD, say $5k if that’s equal to a couple month’s rent.

Major banks, like Chase and Wells, are offering it to their clients.

Most serious and qualified tenants are searching on the major 3rd party platforms you mentioned + realtor.com, redfin, and a few others.Apartments.com & homes.com are owned by the same company and may offer some additional marketing options.Another strategy to consider here is social media - video marketing.