The GC is a business person who doesn't care about your ARV, LTV, or your budget.

Can't say what's hardest, too many moving parts but take care of your tenants and build that goodwill, pays off in spades.

So I want to be careful to not stretch her too thin.  

At another property with just the sidewalk I let the tenants take care of it, but the liability of these steep stairs makes it too important for it to be haphazard or me having to scold them to shovel and salt the walk and steps.I know in snowy areas people with houses contract plowing for the winter at a flat rate.

not in columbus ohio they don't care about the environment. we are building 7 houses at a time and there's nothing in the way all of this year. new deliveries and prices are very strong. maybe blue states but not something we have to worry about in our local market. land is a buyer's market in most areas too.

Without the high leverage you reduce the top source of return in CA RE which is achieve via the appreciation on a high leverage property.  

Keep in mind that many responsible agents tend to be conservative with their valuations, especially in today’s market, where properties aren’t moving as quickly as they once did.If we’re in a conservative market, pricing on the lower end may make sense, but it’s always good to weigh your options carefully.

If I donated to the aids health foundation expecting it to go to aids care or research, I would be very disappointed with this use of the money. 

You’re in a solid position with this property, and it’s smart to weigh your options carefully.

My assumption is that there are a lot of bad apples, and very few that actually care about the seller.