I am as fresh as they come and just beginning my real estate investment education. 

Their purpose is primarily to ensure that your contractor delivers on what is promised.

The savvy investors take that commission into account when they are running their numbers and most have no issues paying me for my time if I continue to deliver deals to them on a silver platter. 

Maybe the stains are really old and can just be sealed and then a new fresh coat of paint.

Here's an excerpt from this new law with more information (and a whole lot of additional notices and info you now have to provide to the tenant when they don't pay):(1) The time period in which the tenant may pay the amount due or deliver possession of the property shall be no shorter than 15 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and other judicial holidays.(2) The notice shall set forth the amount of rent demanded and the date each amount became due.(3) The notice shall advise the tenant that the tenant cannot be evicted for failure to comply with the notice if the tenant delivers a signed declaration of COVID-19-related financial distress to the landlord on or before the date that the notice to pay rent or quit or notice to perform covenants or quit expires, by any of the methods specified in subdivision (f).(4) The notice shall include the following text in at least 12-point font:“NOTICE FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA: If you are unable to pay the amount demanded in this notice, and have decreased income or increased expenses due to COVID-19, your landlord will not be able to evict you for this missed payment if you sign and deliver the declaration form included with your notice to your landlord within 15 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and other judicial holidays, but you will still owe this money to your landlord.

For example, if I need some framing, plumbing, cement work, and cabinets installed, I may get a $20k quote while if I hire these tradesmen directly and individually, it might cost me $12k total.What you get by hiring a general contractor is a manager that is supposed to keep the project going and deliver quality work on time. 

So, if you are doing a remodel of say updated kitchen and bathrooms (new cabinets, new countertops, new fixtures), new floors, and fresh paint, none of that requires a permit. 

I would caution against bonds if her intention is to hold for a number of years as normalizing interest rates will deliver returns below what  she is looking for.

I’d love a book that helps with leads, people skills, and some terminology to help keep my brain fresh!

Its 3 beds 2 baths 1800 Square feet Im thinking the best way to deal with it would be to take it down to the frame and redo all the drywall and basically start almost fresh.