Rather than trying to do everything, I focused on solely looking for 2 family houses with long term tenants within 2 miles of the coastline.

It's frustrating, annoying, and the margins are decent (not spectacular) but you'll gain a fundamental understanding of real estate investing and what's important. 

If you don't, I find the returns are not spectacular. 

Nothing too spectacular to be honest.  

The level of incompetence in rolling this out is truly spectacular.

It resulted in a pretty major rehab, lots of trouble with permitting that slowed me down quite a lot, and some really spectacular before and after photos.  

Unless something spectacular happens with weather or heat in California.

I own 2 rental units in VA for 8 years, and white not spectacular - the return are respectable, and my *sole* activity is telling my property manager to "fix it, keep the people happy".      

The gains we have seen the last few years have been spectacular and have given many people the opportunity to do some serious investing in real estate.

It does not have to be a spectacular shed, just functional.