call a few brokers and just see what their terms are.

Quote from @Alex Brown: Seeking recommendations for a CPA or Tax Strategist who specializes in RE and REPS Status.This post should help:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/1222774-expla...And none of us is allowed to offer you our services as long as this post is in the tax forum.

We live in San Diego so would be long-distance, TBD if we self-manage or enlist a PM. 

I have an opportunity to make a quick 30k in equity, but only cash flow around $25 — if I look at long term appreciation, that seems to make sense to me, but am I overlooking something and trying to make this work?

Thanks in advance Hi Andrew, You will generally have better terms going the conventional route.

Doing it the right way is cheaper in the long run . 

if you buy a long term rental, you may not see true returns for 5 or 10 years (although there are other immediate potential benefits, like passive losses on your taxes). 

I've also heard that traveling nurses are good mid term occupants, so try reaching out there. 

Long term $ can range from 6's-10% range depending on all types of factors - LTV, location, unit count, debt coverage, borrower strength, full doc or lite doc programs, etc..

Half the team focuses on long term rental management and the other half focuses on short term.