I'm handy and could do most updates or renovations on my own, but I'm only interested in something that wouldn't take longer than a week or two of work to update as I'm out of state.I live in San Diego so I'd need a quality PM.My reasons for looking at AZ are the general lower costs of entry level homes.

I take really high quality wide angle photos of inside/out, so prospective applicants already have a good idea of the condition and layout.

In my opinion, making sure your unit is filled with a quality tenant is more important than the few extra bucks.

Oftentimes clients will have unrealistic expectations about project timing, quality and price and it is challenging to overcome this. 

I mainly recommend this strategy to prospective new investors who are concerned with rental income during economically uncertain times like this.Of course, there are other ways to insure you get a quality tenant.Best of luck to you moving forward!

And there are 4 PG&E meters - 1 for each unit plus 1 for the common areas.Alameda County assessor website lists the 'use code' for the property as 2600 which is "3 units, lesser quality than 2300 or unknown legal"I had stopped by city hall right before the shutdown and after a quick initial search, they mentioned the property is listed as a duplex in their records.

A quality Property Management System such as ownerreservations or something similar can handle almost every possible need.

Do a quality rehab inline with the competition in the area (don't over rehab either). 

For my family rental we have had the worst experience and lowest quality tenants coming from the rental sites (Airbnb and VRBO).

I’ve used the MLS in the past, which I find to be effective in finding high quality tenants.