The living condition is terrible as the apartment is poorly maintained by tenant and poorly managed by landlord [seller].

Quote from @Joy Daniels: I manage short-term rentals in the Sarasota area, and I'm always looking for innovative ways to boost occupancy rates year-round.From your experience, what marketing strategies have had the biggest impact on keeping your properties booked?

Quote from @Zara Massoud: Your new PM is correct and the old ones were wrong.The property manager must have your social security or tax ID number on file.

. - PM provides a cash based accounting report every month, for every unit under management, that clearly labels all rent, all expenses, including management fees, and the net directly ties to the amount of money deposited into my bank account.- PM is a licensed handyman, or has them on staff, and takes care of most unit turn work at a reasonable rate. - PM has no breakup/termination fee- PM does not take project management fees, except on large or complicated CapEx projects exceeding $5,000. 

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

I personally believe that a better way to jump into mid term rentals is to take a course on buidling a property management company or cohosting business where you bring your skillset to the table without the intial investment into all the furniture and leases.

The key is to standardize property quality and management systems, which would appeal to buyers seeking scale.If you’re thinking long-term, holding these properties for cash flow while leveraging local appreciation is also a strong play.

Hey Jamie, I am actually a property manager located in Jacksonville, FL and work with several investors in the area.

Anyone out there on W2 , owning a STR that is taking the benefit of its managment qualifying you to take real estate losses against your W2?

If you love property management and want to start a business keep looking into it.Otherwise keep buying income producing properties to generate wealth.