It will cost me profit but I would be overwhelmed tackling daily/weekly management AND it is out of town for me.

At times I've even had to bring in a genealogist, BUT it was absolutely worth it because these were home deals.If you're a new investor struggling to get that first deal or to get any traction, don't get overwhelmed, get TARGETED.  

But I also think that if I can rent it to cover the payment and expenses, why not let someone else purchase the house for me and keep it indefinitely...Then there is the fact you mentioned about the 121 exclusion, which I would qualify for now...a bit overwhelming making these decisions so thank you for your insight.

The ones with larger companies tend to scratch their heads saying ( How can we keep doing deals in this environment to pay staff and make money ?)

Many resorts hire seasonal staff that needs housing.All said, if you can acquire well, and your plan is appreciation, Tahoe is an awesome place where real estate is a limited resource.Consider snow removal. 

.-  Does the service make ridiculous claims like having data scientists and engineers on their staff?    

If you have been around for decades and saw the cycles you know what to look for in an investment.There are also syndicators that their God is money at all costs and they have big teams to feed so when their asset class dries up for deals they go putting together other asset class deals hoping who they partnered with will save the day because they need those going in fees to keep paying staff and living their lifestyle.My deals the pref is not super high for core plus but these are typically investment grade credit tenants with long term leases.

It can be a little overwhelming the first one.

Goosehead operates large call centers with no personal service and undertrained/overworked staff.  

There are way too many varibles and you'll either end up way off or get overwhelmed and become paralyzed.