The only challenge is that I’d probably need to hire someone to manage it while I’m not there if I do an STR, right ?  

Challenges?

Pros include securing the desired property and strategic planning, while cons involve higher costs, financing challenges, and complexity.

There is alot to take in at first but once you get a handle on it, it can be smooth sailing mostly. 

How to mitigate unexpecting costs that come up, is a battle that happens on every deal, but how we handle it is to keep the reps up.

Challenges?

Hardi-plank tends to handle abuse much better over time.

Are you finding the funding process smooth, or do you run into challenges?

You can evaluate the additional cost and payback time as if you were paying for heat to get a handle on it but the jump to most efficient is probably not worth it in your situation.

If you switched to {accelerated} bi-weekly, the difference is much greater ... and no need to figure out how to make your spreadsheet handle the bi-weekly payments, the ones I uploaded last year already do that ;-)