Tenant quality and demand is generally good and usually there are no issues with proper screening, at least for those with decent properties.But for all of the naysayers on California, keep it up.

Never heard of him.Make sure you perform proper due diligence.

Like anything it has to stay balanced but small gestures go a long way in reducing turnover and mitigating many "would be" issues. 

For instance, cities like Chicago are known for landlord-tenant laws that skew heavily in favor of tenants, and that risk should be baked into your underwriting.What’s your take on balancing short-term cash flow with long-term equity growth?

Recommend you look at Lockly locks with built-in camera, so you can also see who looked at the property and tell if the door was properly closed. 

You don't need to use a title company and pay fees, you just need to proper paper work and quit claim deed.

I've found that there are markets that have a balance of decent cashflow and decent appreciation and that's the type of market I eventually decided to invest in.I'm not too familiar with the different markets down there but I'd highly recommend looking into Candor Realty. 

Major cities where STRs have only began rising up and gaining public spotlight with the rise of AirBNB are more likely to have more shifting and less stable regulatory environments since those areas are still in the process of trying to find the balance for STRs within their markets. 

AND The balance on one statement is < 100 and other not enough to cover the first months rent and deposit.

Said tenant failed to hook up the drain line properly both times.