Maybe it’s the commercial lender in me, but I think it’s good business practice to retain, or at the very least have access to, all notices and documents that were given to the tenant.

I'm sorry to hear that, but we have set the best cancellation policy set by Airbnb in order to be flexible for the guest, but also for us as small business owners."

I’m also in California and have debated about every strategy out there 😅.

It’s a pretty risky strategy in my book.  

This is a hands on business, and having family that you trust in the area is a big deal if you are that far away.

From hearing different strategies like BRRR, Fix & Flip, House-Hacking, etc., I've gained most interest in Mid/Long-Term Rentals and BRRR's, and I would most likely want to try to Owner Occupy a House-Hack as my first property. 

Any 'investment' can act as a 'retirement'.Roth is great because it is tax freeI personally like real estate also becuase your cash flow is normally shielded by depreciation.I like real estate further because there is less complixities / restrictions when it comes to IRA such as the 5 year rule, year you have to take distributions, RMD, Unrelated Business Income Tax(UBIT).Your goal is to have the best return and the most money at the time of retirement, what is the best way to get there?

Outside of real estate, I enjoy working on my other business and learning to fly.Excited to learn and connect with you all!

Pleasant but my agent did not recommend that area for rental, especially medium term (my strategy). 

Finally, other tax deferral strategies prevent you from getting immediate cash, and your stated goal was to get cash for a down payment.Either this firm does not understand what you're hoping to accomplish or they are not being straightforward with their promises to you.