The other fellow agents in our office are ALWAYS down to help each other and intro to other investors, contractors, property managers etc.

This is something a qualified contractor can easily resolve.

I cannot use Airbnb since it turns out the conversion is unpermitted and my city requires STR registration.

This means that you will probably need to pay registration and filing fees in at least 2 states if you don’t buy CA property as a CA resident.Be sure to tell your accountant that you may now need to file non-resident income tax returns in each state where you own property as well.

I'm a carpenter / contractor by trade, and I've done a few major whole-house renovations of personal homes over the last decade or so.  

If it is very rural having contractors and completing on time and accurate numbers can be challenging.

Best of luck with your first deal—this community is a great place to build connections with lenders, agents, and contractors. :) 

While this project progressed smoothly, it reinforced the importance of clear communication and coordination with contractors to ensure renovations are completed efficiently.

I inquired about the possibility of a two-company structure: A traditional LLC that is the public face of the activities (collecting rents, paying contractors, etc.) and managing the Series LLC with each property in once cell in it (in this case, Series LLC is serving as a holding role).Again, one attorney said that would be much better than a standalone LLC and that is recommended approach, and the other said it is waste of time and money since there are some requirements from Texas Real Estate Commission, which is requiring being a licensed broker in the state to operate in the managing LLC.So, just want to hear what other Texas investors are doing when it comes to series LLCs regarding these issues. 

You have to get contractor bids to qualify, but ten you can do the work yourself after closing and build sweat-equity.2) Be very picky about the next property you buy and make a bunch of lowball offers to find a motivated seller, willing to sell under market.