Offer a great first-stay experience with thoughtful touches like welcome gifts and clear communication to earn those initial positive reviews.For Big Bear’s rules, stay on top of local ordinances—maybe even connect with other hosts for advice.

But I don't believe this is fully correct. 

They lower taxable income for federal taxes but not for FICA.However, employer contributions made by the S-Corp are not subject to FICA and count as a business expense.Make sure your W-2 correctly reports wages, deferrals, and FICA wages.

Start early, raise that equity well in advance, and make sure all those forms and verifications are filled out correctly.

It works just fine if the operator knows what theyre doing and structures it correctly.

Continually communicate clearly with all parties involved to make sure that expectations are as close to realistic timelines as possible.

I want to make sure I do this correctly from a tax standpoint since all I'm making is a flat fee.

If that’s correct, here’s my non-expert opinion. 

The lenders were very good and communicating at first, but as we got close to closing, we could not reach a single person in the company during business hours.

The owner had her own listing set up on VRBO and has given me the username/PW to be logged in and responding to inquiries and managing guest communications.