Is there anyone knowledgeable in these areas who could offer assistance?

How can I verify the Opex of the property prior to submitting an offer?

Until you have a proper valuation for raw land you cannot make an offer.

@Kyle Hendricks You say you are a lender, is that a traditional bank lender, or do you offer private lending?

Don't DIY and Don't Hire a Contractor.Let me explain, if you DIY you would get hurt, for the amount of time that you have to be in the floor laying out and installing, If you hire a contractor de cost would just hurt your pocket.What to do, find a big site Job where you can walk in and ask for the a foreman of the tile contractor, and ask him if he do works on the side?

Despite offering above the asking price, I'm consistently missing out on potential deals.

Ironically, the offers we had from private entities to purchase the property were approximately $200k less than the final price.Why was this the case?

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – so, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

Their job is to answer your questions, consult with a professional (broker, attorney, title company) when you don't know what, who or how to ask :) The central and south coast does offer quite a bit fewer hurdles to permit, more on that later... 

Is the cleaner offering to charge less for short stays?