I feel like having some good experts helping me clearly identify best practices and targets for success (instead of guessing) to be extremely helpful. 

I have a house in my target area coming up for auction in Cleveland. 

If you put in an offer at 85% of list price on every decent home on mls in your targeted area, you're going to get a house or two that should only need cosmetic rehab - which you could control the costs better.  

You get built in property management which makes dealing with repairs easier. 

Start by analyzing market trends and targeting neighborhoods with strong rental demand.

Here’s our OPINION for the Metro Detroit market (use as a template for your target area!)

Mark Vorkapich of Gladstone Strategieshttps://www.gladstonestrategies.com/I do agree with the above on checking with your current CPA to see if they have a preferred provider - sometimes it is easier and with better results if your team already has a good relationship. 

As for AirBnb itself - they are far easier to work with and get the hang up than VRBO. 

Plus the bar tends to be much lower, so it is much easier to stand out.

However, fact patterns are frequently similar and and become easier to resolve (or run away from).The property is subject to competing spousal claims.