And their interest rates are often high (sometimes in excess of 10%) where by a bank will loan at 3%-4% nowadays. 

If she wasn't so high maintenance and I was getting more money in rent instead of barely breaking even I wouldn't care as much but this is excessive and I have to do something about it or who knows what she'll try to do/install next.Please any help here would be greatly appreciated 

Cut and dry.

Expenses might be excessive, especially the turnover when you have a vacancy. 

California charges a minimum tax of $800 a year per LLC, and more if you have gross receipts in excess of $250k.

What are some things to look at first to decide whether something is a deal or not, instead of spending excess time on it?

Also going to network at an auction tomorrow, but the last one was kind of dry given current local inventory at 1 month.  

Then you can write off excess depreciation against your regular income.Also, excess depreciation can be used instead of 1031 for passive investors.

Note, we typically are unable to extract all of our investment on our initial refi, but the appreciation has resulted in continued equity build up in excess of the principle paydown. 

Code REEB § 24.10Licensees shall not obtain, negotiate or attempt to obtain or negotiate any listing contract providing for a stipulated net price to the owner with the excess over the stipulated net price to be received by the firm as commission.Then you can ask them if it's legal to arrange the sale of real estate without a license in expectation of a fee.If you're OK, then I'd go download a free one on the Internet with lots of holes to allow you multiple "outs".