i invest via 50/50 partnerships. i find/coordinate/manage the deal, and my partner brings the capital to the deal & approves large expenses. on their end, it's just about as hands-off as investing in a syndication, but they get to be one of just two main 50/50 decision-makers. and when there are just two parties involved in a deal like this, vs it being diluted across tons of investors, i find it's also possible for the capital partner to see much higher returns. when it comes to teaming up in real estate i'm much more relationship-based and less transactional. i'd rather do fewer very high-quality, carefully selected deals, each with just one capital partner, so that i can really serve that person's best interests and get us amazing results, vs. doing a bunch of diluted deals. i also feel a lot of syndicators out there are newer to the game, lack experience, haven't used their own money enough, and don't use their investors' dollars with enough caution. it gives the high quality syndicators a bad name.

These are high quality properties that require very little or no deferred maintenance for the Buyers.  

I just set up my vrbo account and still some finer details about planning the communication, cleaning service, maintenance persons, etc…

Most quality markets worth investing in for the long-term are seeing 0.50% or below.

It would be wise to rectify it before transfer of title so your starting off clean and hopefully won't have any issues when you go to sell down the road. 

I had several tenants complain that they are impossible to keep clean.

Luckily this apartment just needed touch up a cleaning.

Some of the materials we choose and asked him to pick up (such as flooring) he replaced with low quality materials, I assume to keep more of our money for himself. 

Appreciation is a real thing and not only this the demand for quality low-income housing is real. 

Contractors, unless you have a working relationship with them, normally do not want you bouncing ideas off them.Understand what their hourly rate is, have a discussion with them that you are okay with paying them an hourly rate if they walk the property with you and provide you a scope of work along with an explanation of what you can/can't get away with in regards to improvements.ask them if you go with them, if they can credit you the amount that you paid.Once you develop a working relationship with a few contractors, you can bounce ideas off them and expect quality responses.I do not invest in New York.Best of luck.