When I floated the idea of buying it from them myself, they said they were open to it if that's what I wanted to do and gave me time to think about it.

Maybe you get it done easy enough some times, but then other guests won't sign it because ... they're lazy, they're unsure why you're doing something separate from Airbnb, for any number of reasons. 

Cats do more damage than dogs in my opinion.  2.

Quote from @Lillian Pintaro: @Michael Ewers  my whole family invest, and our rentals have been doing great!

What’s your vision for your next property - do you see yourself leaning towards value-add projects, or are you focusing more on turnkey options?

HA/ABB which do it automatically. 

Find others who are doing what you want to do and learn from them from a local perspective especially in the niche you're planning to pursue.

Do you prioritize equity growth or cash flow in your investments?

We do those types of loans.

Back to investing there are war-zone to invest but people do invest in those locations.