All great advice.Follow up question... do you prefer to work with one-man operations or companies and why?

Small operation the Property Manager will know you as well as all of your tenants personally.There is a trade off though.A big company is a proven entity whit proven policies & processes.

It currently costs me around $1,000 just to own and operate while it is at full occupancy.

I’d run like a bat out of hell from a lagoon or a water treatment plant , though.Again, it is best to get some input from an experienced operator but consider this:  if a newbie who has just been reading books and listening to podcasts can pinpoint red flags, you know that’s a deal to run from.  

Develop an operating agreement that spells out the purpose of the LLC who has what role, who makes decisions, how are differences between the two of you resolved and an exit plan.Have an attorney draft up the document so each party is protected.  

AB 671AB 671 lowers costs through government incentives for building ADUs with affordable rent.The bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a list of existing state grants and financial incentives for operating, administrative, and other expenses in connection with the planning, construction, and operation of accessory dwelling units with affordable rent.

Not to mention you can scale infinitely with a Series LLC.You can also set up an additional traditional LLC on the side to perform your "operations" that would separate the liability for operations from your assets, or properties.

I was hoping for leads to specific brokerages that actively operate in the investment space.   

As we've scaled operations, we've significantly improved our origination process, from application through closing and repayment.

In terms of ROI typically I try to price it so that i make about 20%-40% of my money back in the form of equity and operating income.