Additionally, cultivating a track record of successful projects can help negotiate better terms over time and foster trust with private money lenders.

I've attended many local meet ups and haven't deducted any costs or kept track of mileage. 

Chad Littell from CoStar notes that while institutional investors adjusted their strategies early in response to rate hikes, individual investors have only recently begun scaling back.July Sales ReportAccording to CoStar’s July Commercial Repeat-Sale Indices (CCRSI), the equal-weighted U.S. composite index, tracking smaller market sales, showed only a 0.2% price increase from June, with prices down 0.7% year-over-year, marking the first annual decline since 2012.

PLUS, when you raise their rent from $2,000 to $2,600 in year 5, just to stay on track with losing $18,000 guess what happens.

Every metric a STR owner should be tracking is impacted (significantly). 

The payback is around 7 years.Yes I know about submetering and all but trying to keep track of all that lots of work.

He said, "Start tracking your net worth now."

Many accredited investors may not be in real estate specifically.Consider starting smaller to build a track record.

That's my personal style; not threatening or hostile, but more of a " hey, lets see if we can get this back on track, otherwise you'll probably have to move back in with your Mom...".If your money is so tight as the landlord that you are maximally stressed over rent coming a few days late, you need to work that out on your end and not create a problem where there really isn't one. 

As said above look for an agent or investment that offers a proven turnkey process with "boots on the ground" in the market you're looking at.