Another thing I did was increased my credit limit prior to writing the check so I would still have credit on my credit card to buy stuff.

common areas need upkeep, vacuuming, window washing and you don't need to get permission to do that work or give notice your going to be doing it, but should be done within normal hours. yearly inspections prior to lease renewal is common, and you need to give notice for that.So if you choose not to renew her lease, give her proper notice.Otherwise as long as she pays and keeps apartment in good condition,, I wouldn't worry about the door note just make sure you give her proper notice if you ever go into her apartment for any issues.

It needed almost 10k in repairs/updates prior to the new management company would take over.I would say Matt is very good. 

I'm finding management companies don't want to help by inspecting the property prior to purchase to give repair costs (Can't even get them to take care of the one that was sold to me).Realtors selling rentals keep offering properties that are @20-30% over retail just because they are tenanted.How do  you build a good team. 

But I'm sure they've updated their technology and are better at the closing process now.Another thing I didn't like that much was that I had asked for the closing documents to be sent to me ahead of time prior to the notary arriving but they didn't.

Does anyone in the Los Angeles/Orange County area have a worksheet they use to estimate the cost of repairs prior to purchasing a flip?  

You are right, all prior attempts to curtail this have met with almost rabid reactions from the National Association of Realtors.  

The prior owner had small dogs and you know the rest of the story. 

Ask them about specific skill sets required, about their team, experience prior to starting in the niche.

It's one thing to have a score around 610 because of prior debt.