Finding good STR's can be a niche market, so it's a good idea to find an agent that is familiar with STR so they can point you in the right direction for zoning, good markets, etc. 

You can surely buy cheaper properties and obtain the same debt pay-down, but now you've got 5x the head-ache, so right asset class is more about efficiency when it comes to debt pay-down.Tax shielding is similar concept in that more expensive properties directionally give you more building basis to depreciate, which means less net income to tax.

Quote from @Jed Butikofer: @Timothy Chi, I think I am starting to lean more this direction due to the fact I've found cash flow deals to be really hard to come by. 

@Ethan Slater here's some info we hope you find useful:Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

In this option your agent would either get paid from you directly in your closing costs OR from the seller via seller concessions.like Russell said, if you are comfortable with the transaction and understand what you are signing and you don't need things explained and you have connections with inspections and title companies then go for it.

Any additional screenings or criteria should be consistently applied to all applicants to avoid potential discrimination claims.Rental application fraud can be a significant threat to the financial and operational stability of running and operating a property.

Because hiring a GM is far from simple, they literally run everything so how they do directly impacts everything, in a big way. 

If you're comfortable posting a link to your property, it would give you more direct feedback from everyone so we can try to help you meet your target. ;-)

My question is can anyone point in the direction of someone who could represent me in this matter maybe a lawyer or attorney, or someone who knows the fire code and who can be clear and concise on what I need.

On a commercial asset the value is directly based on the NOI (net operating income).