I prefer the cleaners coming closer to the time of the next guest than immediately after the last guest leaves (normally this is only an issue during our slower season).  

Does anyone know if there are REIA meetups and/or Real Estate investor meetups in Iowa, preferably in Scott County Iowa?

It sounds like you are just getting started on your RE journey so I'll point you in a few directions and give you some ideas and some things to think about.Firstly, I'd recommend reading all the books on RE - preferably the ones written more recently as the market has changed drastically over the past few years.

Nevertheless, I gather the general opinion that condos are not a preferred type for investment purpose.

I would suggest finding an investor friendly contractor who understands the difference of the scope between a flip and a rental and preferably is an investor themselves.

this is the "preferable way" of approaching problem .... rather than just throw up everything wanna invest to all states but end up confuses.

Talk to your preferred lenders about whether they see a cash our re-fi as being approved with the same standards as an investment, i.e. loan to value, debt coverage ratio, etc.

Preferably in the Oakland, Berkeley, Walnut Creek area?

Hi,I'm from Illinois and looking to invest in a property in Florida (preferably in the Tampa/ Clearwater area) for under 500k.

I prefer tenants pay using electronic ACH transfers through apartments.com and in those cases payment is considered made when they initiate the transfer even though I don't receive the money for days afterwards.