As to color, I think a lot depends on the style of the house and what's happening in your neighborhood. 

We have been looking in the Peoria area and like the newer style homes there as well.Our goal is to stay under 300K.

The master bath floor plan called for a jacuzzi style tub and a single stall shower next to the tub. 

I imagine it has more to do with the color and style, but they are terribly ugly.

Because all loans are non-recourse, there's a declining prepayment, and notes can be assumed, we've seen interest for both short and long term investment styles.

This seems to be a decent arrangement for the time being due to its low cost but I would not be taking on 400k+ debt to try and turn over rooms in a dorm-style house. 

It is your broker that sets the environment in their office, go meet with different brokers and you can start getting a feel for their office and management style.

Some options that I'm considering and seem feasible after a bit of investigation at the city are-1-Subdivide and sell the lot (with or without entitlements)2-Create 2 new micro-lots and build 2 townhouse style homes to sell3- Subdivide and build a duplex to hold (no rent control on new construction = big plus in Oakland)4-Subdivide and build a single family home to sellThanks in advance for any ideas!

Every manager has their own style - doesn't necessarily make them a bad manager (though many other things do, ha).

I’m in my early 20s so even if I’m sacrificing some return now, I’ll likely still be fine as I have a long time horizon.