I use the 3x rent for my first barometer, steady employment, good credit, and of course 3 years of rental history.

One of the best resources I’ve spotted for honest property management feedback-beyond scanning Google-is checking local Facebook investor groups and seeing who people recommend.Anyway, Ethan, since you’ve done a bunch of data crunching: have you or anyone else revisited these numbers more recently, and if so, how have shifting mortgage rates or local employment trends changed your approach?

But if employing your family works for you and for them - great, go ahead.

If you have your own business/self-employed you might qualify for a Solo 401(k) or multi-participant 401k whereby you can self-direct into real estate with those funds. 

A furnished mid-term rental or month to month lease can be well worth the small incremental monthly cost for this flexibility if you are serious about finding a great live in flip candidate on your timeline, not that of your employer's. 

I would try to maximize revenue through things like additional marketing/platforms for example adding VRBO in addition to Airbnb etc, as well as employing pricing software.

It's really simple; when ya don't know what to do or how to do it HIRE and employ those who do. 

What do you file for this "income overseas," do you file SChedule C self employed on your personal 1040 tax returns ?

If you are self employed with no full time employees then you should consider a Solo 401k for your traditional funds and no UBIT on leveraged real estate. 

As an investor here myself, I can tell you we're seeing solid rental demand here thanks to the strong job market and major employers developing here.