@Sebastien HitierI think our high savings rate can more be contributed to having no kids and no expensive hobbies.

It has been a nice hobby, but I could not make a living doing it here in Texas.

EXCELLENT story many can learn from.I'm generally suspicious of mentor/mentee relationships in this space because often they involve a person with little experience doing but lots of time spent reading/analyzing wanting to pass their real estate evaluation and statistics hobby down to another.

You also need to consider the paintings - to the point of @Michael Plaks, if you could have picked up a bunch of prints from Hobby Lobby to decorate the place - why did you do the $3,500 options?

I mean it's good to have empathy and emotional intelligence however you have to treat this like a business and not a hobby. 

If you're not looking to sell, you need to pick up some hobbies if this bothers you. 

But as time goes by, and my focus leans more toward legacy building, I am sometimes conflicted as to where to focus my energy... continue expanding, educating the kids, or enjoying the moment and allowing the kids to do their own thing versus steering them into REI.I find myself taking pauses to enjoy the cash flow, spend time with the kids, and deal with my wife's hobby farm... involving about 70 chickens and two separate gardening areas, while she enjoys working full-time at a local college.

If it's a business, this is imperative, even if running a STR is just a hobby for you, it will be good to know if you will have out-of-pocket costs each month and how much they will be. 

Can’t be a hobby.  

I usually go to Hobby Lobby and look for their discount weeks for wall art or furniture to add cute fill in pieces.