This was my first property, and while it's been a great learning experience, I made several mistakes along the way—ranging from choosing a realtor who was more focused on closing the deal than finding the right house, to having a poor inspection and overlooking issues hidden beneath the surface (literally).

There are multiple ways to skin a cat.

Gotta have some skin in the game. 

As a 3rd-party real estate consultant that has no skin in the game other than what I charge, I provide exactly what you've described—unbiased, no-nonsense, and straightforward advice.

Yes, we pay a fee for the coaching, that many of us feel is fully worth the cost, maybe having "skin-in-game" makes us more likely to take action and be excited about the company, but that is for you to decide. 

You can always charge an air and surface scrubbing fee from their security deposit after they've moved out. 

I've seen some well-known syndicators brag about having "skin in the game" when the truth is they invest $100,000 in $25 million deal but take home $250,000 or more in fees.

On the surface it looks great.

I personally like one sponsor who has been through multiple real estate cycles without losing any investor money, puts very large amounts of skin in the game, is conservatively leveraged and has a very good 1031 exchange program.

Remove old caulk clean surfaces fill tub with water re caulk.