It looks like you are doing an affordable build based on the cost but hard to say since you didnt provide info on the build itself such as square footage and finishes.

The FHA rules/regs (in particular the FHA self-sufficiency test) are applied the same across all markets, and I know for a fact that in rural communities across the country, and big cities that are not particularly desirable places to live, it's not a deal-breaker, I am not commenting on those areas. 

The reason people hesitate to pursue ground-up construction here is because it's costly, unless you're building a two-family home where you can live in one unit and rent out the other.

Stairs are the only way to get in, no grab rails in the bathroom, ramps that are too steep, etc.From what I've read, all commercial businesses/buildings (including ones before the ADA was passed) have to comply with the rules, unless it would be outrageously tough to fix (like installing an elevator in an already built building).Are all these local business just not complying and taking the risk, or am I missing something? 

For pros/cons of booking.com I would say the following...Pros:-if you use guesty you can sync your airbnb info into your booking.com listing info to ease the set up process-there are more options to check off in the amenities portion of the listing set up, so you can really display the uniqueness of your property-I would wager 90% of self-managing str hosts only list on up to VRBO/Airbnb, which means there are not nearly as many options for people to choose between, which means more exposure for your listing-rumor has it that booking.com just invested a large sum of money into building out their services to provide more vacation home listings rather than hotels.

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

There are really great REI opportunities in different markets - markets in the Midwest and Southeast of the country are particularly lucrative - where not only are the purchase prices reasonable for most RE investors, but the homes are turnkey (new builds or completely rehabbed homes, tenant ready, systems 10 years of life remaining on them, property management teams in place) with appreciating home value AND appreciating rent.

We are going to look at a 5 room apartment building next week for STR and MTR use.

If you want to build equity quickly, some level of hands-on involvement is key.

Core values and faith-based messaging can be powerful, but they often get co-opted as a marketing tool to build trust.To tie it all together, many of these programs introduce a group or community.