They make their money off of real estate agents, but real estate agents are the worst people to make money off because they are highly unreliable and in and out of the business when the market changes.Their target should be the consumer with higher levels that they can subscribe too for data, since Zillow is linked to the MLS now which makes their data somewhere more reliable.

Just my personal opinion - get a mentor or a person who already has good experience running STR business, preferably in your area (but not 100% required). 

I don't really need to know much else about someone - if they can't pass this test, why should I believe that they will be able to run a business that will generate cash?

It separates your personal assets from your business, providing a safeguard if any legal issues arise related to tenants or the property.

Lee Arnold is by far one of the best people in the business.

In the latter case, I would still use QB to enter info provided by the 3P servicer and to maintain my general ledger for the lending business.

I've picked up several really good deals because a tenant operator ran the business into the ground to a point where the property owners just wanted or needed out. 

But I'll mind my own business now. 

We exclusively travel during non-peak seasons, so we would be looking to rent out completely during busy/peak seasons, and would stay at the place during slow seasonsQuestions for the experts out there:1. which development(s) tends to be the best for ROI/have the best occupancy rates?

Plus the street isn't a busy one.