I would not be anywhere near where I am today if I had chosen not to go through a program.

I've tried a few softwares - RentRedi, Innago, and Baselane to name a few and have chosen to stick with Baselane.

I understand that California may not be for everyone, especially if it’s outside their affordability (careful with most of the naysayers, these are usually people who don’t own or can’t afford to invest here) I also understand that there are deals everywhere and one must feel comfortable in their chosen area of investment.

I feel like these large luxury buildings are a gamble in many ways.

Its a gamble, and the quality of these types of things vary, so we'll see.

Do you recommend any absolute hard and fast rules to hold the company to or essentially interview them and then if chosen, let them do their thing?

To keep going, join local real estate groups, get a mentor who knows your chosen area, start with small deals or team up with those who know the ropes, and keep an open mind as what you like may change. 

You have chosen to be BOTH.

So, I will suggest to you that you can make this much in rental income and capital gain upon resale and I will supply the figures that I have carefully chosen to demonstrate that.

Imagine a car, you can place assets in the trunk passengers in the car and trustee chosen by the trustor is driving or "executing" the trust.