Within a few days, I got one booking from the UK and one from Colombia.As far as their commission of 15%, Lodgifty and I'd imagine most PMS tools lets you set your markup to counter the comissions so my settings basically net the same cash return across all 3 OTAs. 

I would also leave the cabinets and counters as they are unless is a higher rent area, then you could go with quartz countertops and paint the cabinets to maximize your rent.

SFH in Tacoma WA, gas utility quoted free to bring a gas pipe from the street to the house and a meter.

If you are doing 4 people, remember to add extra storage in the kitchen and to have at least 2 if not 3 prep areas (eg island and two places on the main counter) and a larger fridge.

Russell I had my first contract come in on one of my new builds and the commission was simply one of the line items in the addendum.. it became a negotiating point and thats what I did as the owner/seller I did my counter and part of it was a commission adjustment to the amount the agent put in the offer..

Unless we were asked and were being paid extra , we never replaced the pipe going into the tank from the house . 

I started with an afternoon every other week, which was changed to an afternoon every week.So I put issues into 3 buckets: emergency (a pipe is leaking), within 24 hours (toilet running), and non-pressing (a door is not closing on its own), which is where most things landed and are handled that way.

Before I bought the house, I found a 3 inch pipe with a spicket and electrical wiring going to it.

You do have a logical point, but here's my counter:- Why does it cost more to order a hamburger at 5 Guys versus McDonalds?

I know it's counter-intuitive that more demand causes lower returns, but it's basically an investor saying I need to park 5 billion dollars now, and I'll do it for 0.01% less than the other guy.