It seems to me that some portion of the house purchase/reno/outfitting should be able to be claimed as a business expense, but I have no idea how to correctly do so. 

It is always a good idea to call the city before purchasing a burned home to inquire about the necessary permits and regulations for renovation.

I am not looking for a free service, I just really have no idea what service to even look for.

Great idea.

Bad idea, I'd follow the states guidelines on contractual agreements. there's always going to be vendors that your not pleased with.

I will DM you and happy to put you contact with folks who can give you a solid idea of Las Vegas.  

And we like the idea that maintenance shouldn’t be too much of an issue for the first couple of years. 

Again Im not trying to prevent him from making money, but the idea shouldn't be that every time I need to pass it off to his buyers.What do you make of the situation?

Might help drive some business toward you but also show the municipality that you are taking an active role to help non clients make their STRs better for neighbors.This is an awesome idea.

Feel free to shoot me a DM and we can chat about it, I'm also a multfamily househacker so I have a good idea of where your head might be at.