The property is in Joshua Tree CA which is pretty strange market to begin with, but I have been tracking it for a long time and I was confident in the price.

I primarily work with investors so I'd be happy to connect and learn more about the type of investing you're looking to do and help put you in contact with other local professionals to help you build your core-4: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-tea...

There are listings on there as people do operate illegally but I would not bark up that tree, especially while arbitraging. 

Be patient and keep planting trees.

Why they only give me 3k to remove bunch of trees from property. 

Your structure won't get hit by a tree of bus in the flood runoff.This is actually fun Y'all, so fire away.

People like water, location, view, trees, rocks and hard surface.  

That's big money to me.A PM can fix things immediately that a self manager gets to fuss over remotely, while their rents are in jeopardy:  Refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher repair, heating/air issues, rodent infestations, lock-outs, TV/internet, plumbing, septic, snake in the house, broken chair or table, tree fell over into the driveway, you name it.Everyone wants to say "Gee I'm saving all of my PM fee by managing myself." 

Live in the property, swap your rent payment for a mortgage, do some renovations, eventually get market rent, and also help force your neighborhood to change (by planting more trees on the street, work with law enforcement to make the area safer, organizing neighborhood cleanups). 

Mostly brick homes, everything was super well cared for, beautiful elm tree lined streets (unfortunately most succumbed to dutch elm disease) a very lovely working class neighborhood back in the day.