If not, I do not recommend sheriff sales as a first attempt.

I would recommend seeing what other STR's similar to yours are market as for number of guests.

It’s a common practice and I’ve never had any opposition to this provision.If you don’t have an operating company, you could get into contract in your own name and then assign it.  

It seems a stretch to pay for the Rig with Section 179.I would have development equipment onboard and dedicate a portion of the space to developmentI could put the companies logo on the side as advertisementGiven this, what tax strategies are actually practical?

Our home LLC in ND but it only costs about $100 and a foreign LLC is all our CPA recommended we do.  

I have some great PM recommendations if you need!

Hopefully, you find it helpful and qualifies us to assist you with your goals:)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

@Alec JacobsI often recommend Relay to my clients.

Any recommendations of a good realtor who understands the needs of an out-of-state investor who works the Lorain area of OH would greatly be appreciated.

I would recommend you look for a good neighborhood to buy a multi family in.