I’m about to tell you about a deal that could have easily fallen apart, but instead turned into a $200k profit after a lengthy eviction process.

If you are the nicest 4/2 out there in the market and all the rest have not been remodeled in say 15 years, and your property was remodeled a month ago then the price on your property will be easily justified at a higher price on the listing side. 

I have spoken with so many people who say, "I have my LLC, I'm ready to begin" and I know they could've easily begun their RE investing journey without it.Curious to hear your thoughts.

I have an outdoor pool that easily have 1k+ people using it every season and I never had single complaint due to the water quality.

You are at the peak of Mount Stupid right now. 

and the demand is amplified when it has a proven rental history, furnishings and a transferable or easily obtainable STR permit.

This could easily cost you $10’s of thousands if you plan to stay in the home 5+ years when you return. 

This also protects my downside risk because I could very easily lower my rents if I had to in a market downturn and compete vs. being forced to sell because of losing money. 

I generally recommend if you're not going to buy a property in the city/market where you currently live, the next best place to look is where you have family (and presumably a place that you'll visit relatively often and easily).What is your price point and are you looking for turn-key properties or something along the lines of a "fixer upper", assuming you buy in Peoria or a similar priced Midwest market?

Some DIY lenders use a program called NoteSmith, but IMO, if the loans are too complex to easily manage with simple XL/QuickBooks, I'd be using a 3P servicer.