Spend more than 500 hours on the short-term rental business.Do substantially everything for the short-term rental business.Spend more than 100 hours on the activity, with no other individual surpassing your time commitment.Engage in a significant participation activity for more than 100 hours, with your combined activity in all significant participation activities exceeding 500 hours.Participate in the business for five of the previous 10 taxable years.Engage in a personal service activity (non income-producing) for three of the previous taxable years.Demonstrate regular, continuous, and provable participation in the business for more than 100 hours.If these benchmarks are met then your income would no longer be considered passive but active and any losses could then be used to offset other active income ...

I have never seen a single reputable source that does not show the large CA coastal cities having produced a good/great return and challenge Joe to provide one. 

Everything I have analyzed produces negative cash flow. 

Each 4-plex has to produce $1,000 per months from 4 units meaning 1 unit = $250 per months3.

Some offices have fees and others may pay expenses to cover you and expect you to produce.

You would almost be better off going into the lending industry and leveraging your resources to produce interest income.Purely my opinion ...

It's currently rented out but isn't producing any positive cash flow, I am breaking even with it.

Just don't get caught by the slight inflation this summer's lack of inventory has produced...  

They could list it on the MLS but that usually produces low offers.  

This can be something fairly minimal, so long is it produces legitimate income that you report on your taxes, such as with a schedule C.