Thanks for the tip on Fountain Hill.

@Shrikant Kakani- thanks ...if you  dont need to use financing - disreagrd the following tip ..if you will need to use a loan to acquire your 1st investment property - I would recommend getting the formal loan pre approval step completed ..this is free  and it will help answer many questions you have  and  help get you organized and  prepared .

I would be grateful for any tips and guidance you would be willing to share.

Any tips/suggestions ?

Also, any tips on how to respond without sounding snarky?

The key factor is ensuring the property qualifies for favorable tax treatment by adhering to IRS rules regarding short-term rentals and material participation.For the 7-day rule, the IRS requires that:The average guest stay must be seven days or less for the property to qualify as a short-term rental.If the average stay is 30 days or less, you must provide substantial services similar to what hotels offer, such as daily cleaning or concierge services.Regarding material participation, to further classify the income as non-passive, you must meet one of the following criteria:You spend more than 500 hours actively managing the rental in a year.You manage the business yourself and spend at least 100 hours, with your involvement exceeding that of any other person involved in the rental.Please note there are actually 7 ways to qualify, the above two are the most common.

Here’s where it gets wild: right before the holidays, we not only closed on the house but also helped her move into an extended stay hotel.

I don't know much about gas stations though so if anyone has any tips or stuff to look out for I would appreciate it as I look more into it.

What tips or advice would you recommend to ID these agents and how would you go about trying to build a relationship?

In what is expected to be a continued tight housing and real estate investment market, there are a few tips and tricks that can help investors get some advantages given the current state of mortgage terms and limited housing options.