He hired a cleaning crew to clean the place.He managed to get the place rented out for $150/month more than I thought, and the new tenant had been there now for several years.

So I spent more of my time going to every unit after every cleaning making sure my cleaner had the units 100% flawless.

They try to do everything themselves... find the property... fix the property... rent it out... clean it -- WHY would any investor want to do the cleaning?!

To do a first investment as a short-term rental and win, you have to know the market, understand the HOA structure and allowability in FL, you have to know the management costs (could be 15-20%), and the science behind pricing, changeover/cleaning, and competition in the market.

I did some simple things (painted the purple columns, cleaned up the yard and swept the parking lot)How did you finance this deal?

When we had our granite countertop installed the installers put sticky plastic down to “protect” the floors, and when it was removed it ripped the clear coat clean off in the areas my daughter had been playing with the air pockets.

If you are utilizing a channel manager on your own, I recommend VRBO (90+ days out) for long range guests (older clientele, who typically have more time and can plan our their stays further in advance) and let ABNB (0-90 days out) bat clean up. 

Evolve told me they can refer to vetted/recommended cleaning and maintenance people, but the owner (or in your case master lease holder) would still need to pay these contractors directly and be more involved.

Of course, we want to provide clean parking lots and sidewalks for our residents and reduce slip and fall liability, however we also don't want to go broke on salting every year.

Background so the numbers have meaning - Conservatively approved to 400k, FICO 800, clean history, 20% down payment on non owner-occupied investment property, 30 yr fixed conventional loan.