Note I am not stating margin is as safe as mortgages.  

It seems like every city, county, and state has its own rules, permits, and tax requirements for short-term rentals, and I’m finding it overwhelming to navigate all the different layers of compliance.For example, some places require business licenses, transient occupancy tax permits, or even special zoning approvals.

I acquired my first home in Massachusetts, renovated it for myself thinking I would stay for a long time yet ended up moving to WA state.

I am currently studying to get my real estate license in the state of PA and plan on buying my first investment property in the next couple months.

In CA, there are a lot of tenants that have leases that state a higher rent to go month to month when the lease expires. 

Depending on the state, you will need a designated agent for your LLC, in that state.

Please be aware that this all varies between states, counties, municipalities. 

You say things like "It was understood that I would continue to utilize the garage and one room for storage as I transitioned to living out of state."

Most wholesalers are not good at what they do, are unlicensed (which is illegal in most states), and lock up the property in a contract with zero risk to the wholesaler.

Do that for six months while you save more before making a decision on what to do, especially on doing it out-of-state.