I definitely don't make any money off the place, but the airbnb rentals pay for maintenance and my gas driving to and from WA :-) Question: Have any of you missed some either obvious or not so obvious red flags that would have caused you to negotiate or walk away from the deal and if so what were they?

We have lived in our apartment for nearly three years without any issues, but since April, new neighbors moved in upstairs, and the noise has become unbearable.At all hours of the day and night, it sounds like constant walking, furniture screeching, and items being dropped—even until 4 a.m.

How did you find the deal/who helped you walk through it?

Bay Area, did a local renovation where I was able to do walk throughs with the contractor, and have pretty good control of this property, can check on it multiple times a week.

This will save you on subscription costs.If you want to discuss any of this further, I'm happy to answer questions and help walk you through it.Best of luck!

But I’m not insensitive to the security issue: I wouldn’t want unvetted, unaccompanied strangers walking through my home. 

This is something that will be hard to judge at first but once you start getting the hang of walking a property, and doing the flips you will be able to estimate off the top of your head when you walk into a place.

Who is responsible for cleaning the construction site and keeping public walk ways free and clear of construction debris since you are in CA without the ability to monitor the site?

We recently did a sealcoat project at one of our properties and a resident walked across the wet sealcoat.  

Then walk away.