When I googled mansard roof, I found the image below as well, that looks fairly nice.  

It was that random.

We tend to see what facts support our self-image and view of the world.

I always recommend keeping as much cash in your savings as you can because you want to have money saved for any random/emergency expenses/vacancies.

And until I own say 20+ units ( i have 10 3/2s now) i will self manage as I enjoy it and I also dont want to give control of my assets and my $$ to some random person. 

Whatever you do, establish some "House Rules" that apply to all Residents, such as hours of use; no random stored items or "donations" left outside of storage lockers; no flammable liquids; no food storage, etc.

So he got a few good images of the guys.

Remodel.com puts out an annual report of what you can expect from your remodel, I pulled this image from their site to help you with your decision:

Not every business needs to be a mirror image of what you think is the right way, yet you seem to get very frustrated that they are not.

Assume the images are touched up but what ones stand out as over priced, what ones look like reasonable then follow when it goes pending, and after what the closed sale really was.Location, crime stats, employment local, average rents, school ratings.