Needless to say, I explored further by pulling up & printing all information and pics online pertaining to this property & even got in touch with the real estate agent who sold my friend this house to find out some info about the Granny unit I live in & if it was truly built without a permit.

Second, even after running comps if you want to be on the safe side contact a local HML.

I have found them online but you might have to search as they're usually accessible only to realtors.

While I agree with your friend that full guts are almost the only way to find yield in "safe" areas, it is all just moving risk around.  

My goal is to build a team online and irl to help with this new journey.

I still don’t have a lab test confirming that the water is safe.

Go to Etsy and search for "rental property tracker," and you will find hundreds of nice spreadsheets to track 10-20 rentals, usually for under $10.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

Eventually, and regretfully, I signed up for QuickBooks Online.

The lock won’t show online for remote lock or the Schlage app 

If you're not familiar with the area, I recommend driving around and doing some in depth research online about the location of the property.