Single-family homes in cash-flow-positive areas tend to be easier to manage, especially if you use professional property management.

Same goes for number of LLCs and what to fund them with, since bear in mind that CA tends to be more cumbersome and expensive to have LLCs than other states.California is generally more cumbersome than other states when it comes to taxes and filings.

Quote from @Michael Smythe: @Steve K.Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

As I've observed, after a down period, the market tends to recover and show growth for approximately three years.Timing the market is a skill every real estate investor should develop.

Given the current market conditions, new construction and turnkey properties tend to offer a more stable and lower-risk entry point into real estate investing.

I will say from experience that STR renters tend to be more needy than long-term. 

,Our "pitchbook" tends to be anywhere from 5-10 pages and we each one is deal specific. 

A family member contacted me directly, so my agent hasn't been involved at all with this deal so far.In that case, the only reason that you would pay him the 3 percent is you wanted the assistance with the whole process from negotiation, home inspection, negotiating any repairs, mortgage and closing and title referrals.

Usually in my experience that tends to come back higher, aligning with the comps, after the actual renovation was done. 

-guests tend to love the property and they do say its unique and a very nice experience. airbnb link to my profile below, scroll down to find all 6 listings.https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/423988383