The day after closing on the home I quit my job and got into mortgages (my lender was also a friend from high school and made the process so incredibly simple).

Regardless, I would not pursue a cash-out refinance/home equity loan/HELOC since the cash flow is minimal with your current rate. 

You think I should just keep on making minimal payments or should I go ahead and pay down the 20%.  

Likely finishing the process before anyone else has the chance to even see the original data source, giving your the first mover advantage.There is a lot of hype around AI and I have seen my fair share of BS.

The costs and process will completely different.

Another big factor in my search for an agent is someone who has extensive experience in the process of vetting prospective tenants. 

You may want to talk to an intermediary as they'd have a lot more knowledge on how the whole process works than I would, it's fairly rare that I see something like this happen, but I usually get it once every year or two.

According to a New York Post story about the incident:“[Adele] Andaloro claims the ordeal erupted when she started the process of trying to sell the home last month but realized squatters had moved in—and brazenly replaced the entire front door and locks.

I am not sure if there is an appeal process or if you are then stuck with that rent value.

That photographer is not responsible for the long term profitability if those listings so the Investor really needs to own this process, or at least set expectations.