The first year was challenging meaning had a tenant but not saving, it was just making my living expenses cheaper.

I assume you’ve got a loan that says you will be living there.

If I were new I would simply stick to areas close to where I live.

ARV 900Total reno was 170k Appraisal $399.00 Shut off valves $95.75 paint $300.18 Commeercial enzyme cleaner $72.09 Water activation fee $51.38 shut off valves $38.52 Kilz restoration primer $275.66 Kilz restoration primer $150.33 Shower tile-Master.

We have Clearwater, Saint Pete and Indian Rocks beaches that are hot spots for STRs.

Even if the rental has a decent cash flow with additional flood insurance, we're still not sure we want to take on that risk as we are out-of-state investors (planning to move back to KY in the future, but not now) and we don't like that it will potentially bring down the perceived value when we try to sell it in the future.The seller has never lived there and has not provided any information on if it has flooded before or not. 

I never actually went live on the site because of the 15% fee they wanted.

I’m trying to familiarize myself with the area more thoroughly.it seems to have a stable increase in prices.Since I plan to live in the property initially, breaking even in the first year is my main goal. (5% down; PMI removed with renovation)However, I’m also wondering if it’s feasible to have some cash flow from such rentals, or if the risk of vacancy is high in this market.Any guidance or pointers from those experienced in this area would be greatly appreciated!

This may be controversial but it seems like you would be saving a lot of money at the moment given your reduced living costs.

So now I have both my personal residence and a leased property as STRs.Even though I live 3 hours away from my leased STR property, I've built a team that assists with managing it, so I don't have to be there all the time.Here are some key things I've learned:Regulations: Research the specific STR regulations in the state and city where you're looking to buy.