Markets I'm interested in are the Chicago suburbs, Milwaukee suburbs, Las Vegas, and eventually Los Angeles when money permits.

Were all of the renovations you did in the past permitted correctly or DIY?

i can't speak to what their overall customer service has been because we only know what's in your post. 

In many/most places you can pull permits and do work on your primary residence yourself, but you need to be a contractor licensed/insured to do that in the rental units.

Still get a fair number of potential customers asking to buy AirBnB and MTR, but most of these I think are way late to the game. 

You are required however to have a license like myself if you are offing a service to customers.

Check local regulations.First, verify that your local zoning laws, HOA rules, or condo bylaws permit renting your property.2.

All of my customers in NJ, NY, CT, CA, WA and other states are all buying in those states as well as a few others.The price to cash flow ratio is going to be better in those states as well as having a higher inventory of both single family and multifamily rental homes.

"Oh the customer insisted on buying the materials, it's not my fault"

Now that I'm a more experienced designer in real estate, I would love to customize my kitchen more with different materials, unique tile, and more unique pulls/knobs but having a large, clean kitchen was extremely appealing to me as a first-time buyer 4 years ago.