@Kenneth P FordRecommend 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.

Why would you leave an income source that can further investments, fun, etc.

First off, you should know that getting a loan as a foreigner in Mexico is quite difficult—most traditional lending options aren’t available, so you’ll likely have to explore alternative financing or fund the construction yourself.When it comes to managing the property as a short-term rental, you'll need to decide whether you want to open a small company in Mexico.

There was an additional 20k fee for them to source you properties that would fit their model.

Most real estate sites that try to dip into new ways of sourcing information fail.

AirBnB has been a really good source of quality leads.

Anyone with more than a single property may be interested in adding another and represent a cash buyer.Bandit SignsBandit sign campaigns is run in almost every neighborhood, and many people don’t realize that they are a great source for finding cash buyers.

According to those sources, it is not a southern CA specific issue.  

Does this mean they're technically violating lending rules/regulations by not informing the lender that the property will be sourced as a rent-by-the-room asset? 

Any special lenders that you were using that accept foreign nationals?