It just didn't seem like it would be worth my time or money. 

Because little Johnny's Mommy wasn't too pleased when showed what the "nice kid with a backpack" gave him for selling him his "toy" and found out it was worth a whole lot more than a "handful of jelly beans".... 

I did most everything I was supposed to do, increase my income, decrease my living expenses, save cash, etc.. 

Just make sure you are saving towards those slow months during the peak months, buy a deal at the right price (don't overpay just because its a turnkey STR or you think it will make more money than projected), and look into ways to increase bookings during those slow months with some marketing and operation tweaks. 

Everytime a new victim comes forward it increases the chances and shortens the timeline for something being done. (800) CALL-FBI and (800) SEC-0330. 

Now that you know this little secret (that most don’t), you can make informed decisions when it comes to increasing rents for new leases and renewals.

It had better be a great deal to be worth dealing with all this headache and taking on this risk. 

I'll usually eat $100 - $200 worth of touch-up cleaning for a long-term tenant.

However, IL landlord/tenant laws are tough and are worth taking a deep dive into if you are going to investLawton, OK - Good opportunity for sure as many mid-American towns like this are prime for investors.

The only way to know if your idea is worth doing from a wealth building standpoint is to do the math:  What is the cost to acquire?