I have 0 experience managing STR properties, but lots of experience using Airbnb from my travels 😅 I am halfway reading Avery Carl’s book on STR.

You're not in the position to be a cash buyer...as a former wealth manager, it's simply not a good play for you for many of the reasons stated above and more.  

Deals he claimed to have "closed" were not his firm's deals, despite being listed on Next Level Equity's Portfolio page and Justin creating and posting graphics with Next Level Equity's logo the word "CLOSED" and pictures of other people's real estate.

A bonus is if that company also manages and will stand behind that property after the sale to an investor like you.if you have the time, desire, risk tolerance, and knowledge, you can absolutely find and or create deals on your own.  

Here's the deal:Purchase Price (PP): $95kRenovation Budget (via HML): $60kTotal All-In Cost: $155kARV (After Repair Value): Around $200kRefinance (via DSCR Loan): 7% interest, 30-year fixedRefinance Details:After the refi, I will pay back the Hard Money Loan (HML) at 11.95% with 3 points:HML: $60,000Interest/fees: $3,585Other costs: $1,800Total to pay back HML: $65,385After the refi, I will have $84,615 left in cash.Cash Flow & Expenses:Expected Rent Income: $1,700/monthProperty Management (PM): $126/monthInsurance: $100/monthTaxes: $126/monthMortgage: $1,043.75/monthTotal Expenses: $1,395.75/monthSo my monthly cash flow is about:$1,700 - $1,395.75 = $304.25/month in cash flow.Return on Investment:Cash Invested After Refi: About $18,385 (after paying off HML and closing costs).Annual Cash Flow: $304.25 * 12 = $3,651Cash-on-Cash Return (CoC): $3,651 / $18,385 = 19.8%I didn’t account for maintenance costs since it’s a full gut rehab, and everything is brand new.

Sometimes larger portfolios for sale will have owner financing terms a seller is willing to accept (always negotiable). 

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.

The other contributing factor was the poor property management and sponsor asset management of the properties.

I used Hostify and you can work it into the management system to figure and charge all of that for you.  

When evaluating a property management company, it's important to look beyond just the management fee and consider the full scope of services and costs involved.For example, at our company, we charge a 10% monthly management fee, a $250 lease renewal fee (unless it’s a takeover tenant, which requires additional effort to establish a strong relationship - because usually people are changing pm companies for a reason), and the first month’s rent as a leasing fee.