Embrace that you will have ups and downs and success is never guaranteed, but you can hedge your bets by doing thorough market research on sales data, appraisals, costs of repairs, materials, etc.

This way, you can make mistakes and learn from them without the pressure of a massive investment.Starting small also means you won't be overwhelmed with responsibilities.You can focus on understanding the local market, managing a single property, and getting a feel for the real estate process.As you gain confidence and expertise, you can gradually expand your portfolio and take on more significant projects.Remember, every successful real estate investor started somewhere, and many of them began with a small step.So, embrace the opportunity to learn and grow while keeping your initial investments manageable.Over time, you'll build the skills and knowledge needed to tackle more extensive real estate ventures confidently.Embarking on a property journey can be both exciting and rewarding.

Maybe Austin embraces STRs?

Do they embrace STR and tourism, or are they generally adverse to it.I'd also check a couple of the STR websites to see if you can find other STR. 

Seeing just about every applicant has dogs, I have changed my ways and embrace them and charge extra for them. 

The same goes for real estate brokers,  Some understand and embrace the strategy and some abhor it and say it never works.I have been very successful in utilizing seller financing.You need to have the right deal, the right asset, the right seller ( motivated) and the right bankBest of luckGino

I was doing STR in both Boston and Cape Cod and Boston/Cambridge did their best to kill Airbnb, The Cape tries to embrace them, though some backlash from Boston created state requirements to them.

Welcome to BP - I think you should definitely embrace the idea of investing out of state sooner rather than later, especially since you mentioned cash flow as your goals. 

My greatest concerns are how to find the right mentor and learn enough to avoid common pitfalls.RE seems high friction to me, iliquid compared to other asset classes with which I'm more familiar but I want to embrace the opportunity to understand how others who succeed with it operate and hopefully give back along the way.William

Stories like nicks make me so excited for life and really allow me to embrace the suck in a sense and grow and turn my downfalls or shortcomings into my superpowers if yopu will.