For anyone who may end up reading this, as a follow up, (1) auction.com ended up not requiring the full $2500 deposit, since my purchase was less than the deposit requirement. (2) It took about 2 months to get the deed, because CHASE had a pre-foreclosure on it at the time of the auction, and so they formally foreclosed and then eventually got the deed, which they then eventually signed over to me. 

I think next I'll go to the City and see what they have to say on the building requirements.

The way Avery Carl (the author) and the podcast guests describe it, managing an STR seems quite straightforward, though I'm aware it requires significant effort to be successful.My plan is to purchase a property for under $400k, make a 10% down payment, and self-manage it as an STR.Living in San Diego, and given the real estate prices in Southern California, finding a profitable STR locally seems challenging.

They will likely require you to provide them with updated documents and proof of ownership, but other than that I remember it being pretty straightforward.

Guests, just like those at your personal residence, require all sorts of amenities we don't often think of beyond the heating, cooling, water, waste, electricity and internet that hosts are responsible for.

Unlike a purchase/sale, it is not required that this be reported anywhere and zillow doesn't give already rented properties/prices. 

Conventional loans will require a significant down payment so that you can get the cash flow you need.

Example - if a renter were to mail us a check, can I just give them the PO box rather than have them send it to the property address only to be forwarded to the PO box (again, only checking to make sure we stay compliant).I should add that our system requires the home address for our LLC, and in our home state we are our own registered agent   In the foreign files LLC we have a virtual address for registered agent     Just want to use a P.O.

If there's a kitchen fire that requires $150,000 to rebuild and remediate you're suggesting not filing a claim because it's not a total loss?  

If you wanted to invest through an LLC it would require you to purchase it as an investment property from 15%-25% down payment.