Not to say anything bad about the following STR companies, but I would go with a smaller one in which they can definitely take care of your home better and won't be overlooked. 

I feel tenants don't care as much.

If they have actually proved mold (highly unlikely) the next step is to carefully evaluate their report and see whether the tenants actions/inactions may be the source of the mold...

Of course always in enrich your knowledge in real estate but at the same time take action quickly do not wait even if you don’t know something 100% free stylet kick it out and take care of it as you go along fail forward that’s the only way you’ll become successful in both being a real estate agent and being a real estate investor.

Be careful. 

You stop worrying about having to maximize every month on every rental because you just don't care if you bring in an extra $50; you'd rather have a stable tenant that pays on time every time and doesn't cause you trouble.

I am not sure why is that but you have to be careful on what are the agreement on that contract.In this case, I would recommend to get involved with a investor friendly realtor who will help you as it could be many issues during the process as the titles are not clean in most cases and many variables have to be checked. 

Rent by the room to me as a bizz model I dont care for personally. too much work.. now owner occ bring in roomates that different or student housing or as other stated crash pads for airlines thats different. 

Looking for guidance, tips, suggestions, best practices as to how to go about it.

Your lender doesn't care where you sleep ; ) You are technically supposed to use your home as your primary residence for a defined amount of time according to the terms of your loan.