I bought my first house in 1987 and  5 years later I got a job transfer from Miami to Central Florida. 

Also, I think, general maintenance is centralized so 1 handyman could care for all units, which makes it easier to manage.

For years there was fear that creation of the tic right before a sale might be viewed as an attempt to artificially avoid taxes. 

Any tips on avoiding common mistakes?

They skip that property and send someone to verify and come back to it later after they know if they were paid or not to avoid a situation like may have happened in your case.

I converted my STR back in December to avoid the newly increased Hotel Occupancy Tax (9% monthly) and to cut out my STR PM (10%/monthly).

Having a conversation up front can help you avoid lost time and money in the long run. 

Instead of “cash for keys” you can just tell him to get out to avoid having to pay for all the damages.

Keep an eye on your debt-to-income ratio and overall leverage to avoid overextending.

We use accounting software that codes the income and expenses to the property (called a class) so we can run P&L;s on each property with ease.Your accountant and bookkeeper will also thank you later for keeping it simple and avoid significant accounting costs.