Any other guidance and/tips will be greatly appreciated ! 

Tip of the iceberg, unfortunately. 

And you mentioned when you sent your letter.Looking it this as an investigator, not a lawyer:You may not have to proceed to trial, but you may have to get to discovery, predominantly to see how - and exactly when - you could have been served with the “NOTICE OF UPDATING MAILING ADDRESS FOR DEFENDANTS AND OBJECTION TO ANY CLAIM ON SECURITY DEPOSIT,” alleged to have been “furnished” to you on March 24, a Friday last year.

We have a weekly all-things STR newsletter called BiggerStays that may be useful for subscribers to get weekly tips on improving! 

Start-up costs are also deductible but are amortized over 15 years with a limit of 5k.Start-up costs have strict rules and your case might not be the same as this one.Case Summary:Timeline line of eventsStarted investigating property: FebPut first contract (canceled): MayBought first property: December 30thWhether a taxpayer is engaged in a trade or business is determined using a facts and circumstances test under which courts have focused on the following three factors that indicate the existence of a trade or business:Whether the taxpayer undertook the activity intending to earn a profit;Whether the taxpayer is regularly and actively involved in the activity; andWhether the taxpayer's activity has actually commenced.On the basis investor testimony, we may assume that he undertook this activity to make a profit and that he regularly and actively engaged in it.

I’d appreciate any tips or personal experiences.

Any good tips on getting started in Ohio or other places? 

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

How are you handling them, and what tips would you share with others considering a similar venture?

They will also outline a good timeline and tips to help you get the best loan possible.