Needless to say, I’m a fan of cryptocurrency.That being said, I’ve always advised people never to invest more in crypto than they are willing to completely lose.

At that point, if your tenant is not willing to renew,  you simply advise the tenant that you will not be renewing their lease, and provide them a move-out date by which they must vacate the property.  

However, due to it being:1) In the state of California2) A shared home, rather than an outright external property being rented...the default insurance company on offer advised that many carriers are pulling out of CA and that I should go to a local insurance agency.My current insurance for home policy does not offer a "home-sharing endorsement" but only a separate renter's insurance, which would complicate things, since it's for traveling professionals, and they're not going to be booking for 12 straight months.

However, with the rates where they are now but likely heading down, I am advising my clients to buy now. 

I would not advise starting out your investing with an STR unless you have some type of hotel hospitality background.

You've already received some good advise here already.

You don't indicate this is for the purpose of selling the property so,First, I wouldn't advise doing so.

Advice  from an experienced investor to those starting out 
1. Stop chasing guru/mentor “education”, tactics, strategies.  Concentrate your education on real estate principles, real estate law, and real estate financ...

So, for instance, re: my family property that needs patching up, would you advise saving 50% of the cost of the renewal before looking into loans and such?

When it comes to higher interest rates, how are you advising investors to balance that with their overall return on investment?