On the other hand, when you design strategically for a specific type of guest, they’ll not only pay your desired rate but also return and recommend your property.I go deeper into this on BiggerPockets Episode 933, but I completely understand if not everyone finds this info relevant.

I am the boots on the ground, managing the property and doing everything in between.

I have excellent credit and good paying job approval will not be a problem. 

I am the type of person that is normally looking to save a money to increase my investing so the thought of paying someone to do my taxes when we could do them ourselves didn't make sense. 

You will be paying 6-10% for just having them collect rent. 

After fully renovating both units, I refinanced to pay off the loan and held it as a long-term rental.

I asked if there was anything else we could try, he got very angry and demanded I pay him in full.

My experience in Massachusetts, where it took nearly a year to evict a non-paying tenant, has made me more selective about the locations I invest in.I am looking forward to learning and sharing insights with this community! 

Imagine making millions of dollars over the course of your career and then having to pay 30-50% every year to uncle sam instead of compounding that cash over time.This is exactly what real estate professionals have learned to mitigate.To reduce their taxable income, they just buy a building every year, do a cost seg, and use depreciation to reduce their tax liability dramatically.Their personal wealth snowball grows much larger and much faster than their W2 counterparts who give most of their money back to the government each year.Following this strategy as a real estate professional is one of best ways to end up with a much larger net worth at the end of your career.

Regarding your other questions:  - If the going value is $260/SF, why would you pay more than that?