My questions are these:  Should I just buy a property in my name and self-manage it under my name?  

I am fine with quality rentals not so keen on what I have seen from the Morris/oceanpointe threads that's kind of scary for investors.and I always think urban core D class which shows highest paper returns are really appropriate for locals that live there and self manage or have enough of them 100 to 200 etc to have their own crews.

Makes applicants excited.

I know he said he has 7 more houses that’s not ready to sell yet so maybe he’s investor his self n owns these homes.

You can self-manage all of your own properties that you own.

Make sure there are no unpaid debts, property taxes, liens, etc.After buying the property:If you're self-managing the property, introduce yourself to the new tenant (or send them a letter).

Some will accept certification from a “design professional” that the work complies with all applicable codes.

Our STR we use a PM and it is work (we tried doing it ourselves many years ago and we are fairly experienced PMs but this was too much work for our lives - we self manage around 20 LTR units if we thought it was not easy imagine less experienced PM).As @Aaron Friberg indicated before considering STR on Condo make sure that it is allowed in the complex.In summary, the rents are good but STRs in San Diego could have legislation curtailing them and STRs at the beach are not passive.Good luck

The title is a bit open ended, but what I am referring to is the following as mentioned in the BP podcast on many occasions.Browsing unit listings in my target area and cold calling the person that listed the unit when it seems like a self-managed property.  

Do not hesitate, to post questions and bounce ideas around in applicable forums.