California generally makes pest/vermin control the landlord's responsibility, unless you can prove that the pests/vermin were caused or invited by the tenant. 

Yes, you should buy a lock on your pool heater so you can control when it turns on/off.

There is a little fear on my end in giving up control on those areas ;)

In this way you can control the rights to the property and approach tenants to negotiate an LOI and then execute a lease before closing on the property/If area is good generally demand is there unless developers are slamming up so much product there is an oversupply to demand.

To put it plainly, I decided to take control of my life journey and change its trajectory.

sounds like you have it in control!

Contact 2 or 3 to interview them personally then make your choice.TD Ameritrade and Fidelity do not offer truly "self-directed" IRA, they might offer some control, but only within confines of their allowed investments, which is confined to the stock market and does not include alternative investments such as private lending. 

I want to work for my self have my own "business" control my own hours.

I want to work for my self have my own "business" control my own hours.

So it's not like Turnkey is pain-free, you have to do the work and know how to avoid being taken for a ride, like pretty much any big financial decision in life.I am always happy to provide info to new investors, as it fuels my BP addiction anyway ;) But before you or your friend make any decisions, it's crucial to have a serious heart to heart about what the goals are for the investment and what your needs are with regard to time commitment, risk, and control (do you need to be near the property, do you need to be in charge of tenants?).