Be that person who set's up some STR's there, runs em there, and really caters it to the US "bucket list" tourist. 

Hi Ivan,Agreed,  very intelligent person.

Told them to do a drive by and call me back with an offer :)The person who called you probably just spent $15,000 for mentoring and “education”, and is now in panic that his 250 cold calls have not produced anything .  

Real estate investment is my future.This amazing voyage begins with setting personal goals and vision.

He is looking at a group of investors like myself to bring 25% of the project value and then procure a bank loan for the remaining 75%.

i think this is a decision only you can make. im in a similar boat (house hacking my primary) and considering renting the whole thing out to get a solo home for myself. certainly a lot of appeal in that, given how much work goes into the house hack. but whether or not the numbers on cash flow align is up to you. personally i dont think $150 (seems like about 12%?)

This is one of the best ways to scale a portfolio while keeping low out-of-pocket costs.Big Picture: The Best Move for You•If you need funds now, a HELOC in your name makes sense—but keep the rental in your personal name to avoid triggering the due-on-sale clause.

This is dependent on your personal situation and strategy.

Thank you,KVBelow are my answers to some of your questions that I feel qualified enough to answer and then some of my personal thoughts on where to go from here."

Cosmo - I personally don't know Phoenix well, but if I had to do this in another city I would look at income levels, crime levels, and population growth (if you can) by zip code and/or area within a DMA as a starting point.