Those who want 'to appear to be' are only fooling themselves. 

I'm starting to self manage my STR in Big Bear Lake, CA and need to have photos taken.

All paths leading to where you want to be are only accessible to those willing to put in the work. 

Bear in mind, I say this as someone who has purchased many properties this way- just beware.How is sending evidence of their identification a bad thing?

You are the one who doesn't get it.The customer pays what the market will bear regardless of your expenses.

If the sheet rock is soft and the screw driver easily goes into the wall, you have to remove a 1 foot by 1 foot section to see if there is mold.If you have linoleum or vynal floors, look for corners that have peeled up and see if water is getting into there.If the house is on pilars or blocks crawl under the house to see if the soil is damp and if the wood is rotting.

You can certainly find times where "if you bought in XXXX and sold in YYYY" you held a depreciating asset, long term averages bear that real estate will appreciate.  

I am in the process of buying a 3 bed, 1 bath single family home in Big Bear, CA that I primarily plan to use as a STR but would also like to visit ~20 days of the year.

This has already been said, but it bears repeating....it does not matter one bit what the previous owner paid for a property.

what exactly are they going to be coaching you on and how involved will they be? are