However, I will say it is critical that you have neat and clean tenants!

It makes it hard to compare when trying to gauge an ARV.Is this them just cleaning up their database / housekeeping etc?

Just make it clean, safe, and modern looking (grey paint, newer floors, etc) and you will be fine. 

I’ve even heard that STRs can be returned to the landlord in better shape than long term rentals due to frequent cleaning and the guests generally taking care of things so that they will be rated highly.

Have you tried cleaning stucco on the inside of a house? 

I am a reasonable property maintenance technician and I do property management property perseverance I do winterizing and dewinterizing gutter clean lawn care mainly make ready single double triple quad etc I fix them all to be rented fixed flip whatever your trying to do I’m your guy I also do around the clock property maintenance if there’s an emergency the majority of the time I can fix it I’m in Columbus Ohio area I’m also a credit repair agent I’d your trying to get your first property but your credit score isn’t that good I can help you get it up to where it needs to be so if your serious then we can get under contract if not we can still have a discussion and never know where it leads to I may even be able to help you out close door stay close unless you open it

I will be finding the property, managing the property, finding renters, cleaning, servicing and maintaining the property over the term of the agreement.

I bought it "as is" and arrived a few weeks later to check it out, it was just as I remembered, clean but in need of a little update.

At the time I purchased the building annual rents were about 75K, I spent maybe 20k total fixing units at turnover time, and did some clean up and landscaping.

After failing to reach the tenant (she'd changed her number), he changed the locks, cleaned it out, cleaned it up and prepared to re-rent the unit.Not exactly kosher, I grant you.