Certainly nothing ground-breaking in terms of ideas here, however I'll be very hands on (and on site) during the process to make sure that every step of the way is executed to a high standard and very carefully.Once I've hopefully developed a successful track record and gained experience, my next goal would be to move on to commercial assets (think multi-family, industrial etc) so that I can leverage my existing investor network and real estate knowledge to raise 3rd party equity and take on bigger projects.

I created an electronic google doc time tracker: Time LogContemporaneous time log of rental real estate activitiesActivity DescriptionTenant recruitmentTenant screeningNegotiating and executing leasesOverseeing repairs and maintenanceCommunications with tenants and vendorsTravel timeResearch for potential rental real estate (pub 925)Acquiring rental real estate (pub 925)Paperwork/bookkeeping/bankingResearch and purchase of materialsRent collectionEvictionOn-site cleaningBill paymentOther:Time SpentDateMM/DD/YYYYSubmit

There are executives that go to the Thousand Oaks area and need a place to stay. 

The streamlined approach minimized holding costs and maximized efficiency, proving the power of our strategy in identifying and executing quick-turn deals.

How well do they take responsibility and execute on tasks?

And also, know everything about operating real estate, if you really want to know the risks: business plan, financing structures, ability to execute, market research to vet their underwriting assumptions, how fees can influence investment decisions...3.

Has anybody successfully executed one?   

Here's a list of things to track:- Formal lease application- Formal signed and executed lease specific to your state- Payment history (I recommend using online rent collection like Apartments.com, RentRedi, etc)- Maintenance requests and receipts- Accounting for all rental-related expenses (repairs, utilities, etc) The more you treat it like a business, the more helpful you are to your CPA come tax time. 

Depending on your debt to income, you might have to sell or have an executed lease to secure financing to buy the second home.

Although HUD loans offer great leverage, they are a pain to execute.