Hell no.There's something just too creepy about a stranger contacting your friends on Facebook.

It is the only way as an owner to protect yourself from letting strangers into your home and use it as their own on a short-term basis. 

Out of state, you will be 100% dependant on the kindness of strangers to make or break your investment.

That's a lot to ask of a complete stranger!

Once someone rents they have to send a picture of their drivers license and a selfie of them holding their drivers license (yes, I routinely ask strangers to send me selfies). 

Jumping on a forum and asking a bunch of strangers how to build your future is a terrible, terrible idea.

And yet, truth is often stranger than fiction and reality (as you pointed out about the truly crazy previous owner) is actually more entertaining... or so I think.A priceless experience for you both though - thanks for sharing!

Remember that it's your money that you're entrusting to a stranger, and you're not obligated any more or less because they wear the uniform. 

Most of us are pretty suggestible and will respond to a stranger's house with conscious and unconscious opinions about the furniture, the smells, whether it looks happy or sad, etc.

It's not complicated, Stranger-Danger is real, in everything.