I have  a W2 job and look forward to the losses this year to offset some of my income (Not my 'WHY' for running an STR, but a nice bonus).

You can put the number into a search engine and sometimes it will tell you if it's a solicitation.

On the other hand, pros include increased cash flow, engineer-based data for the clients CPA, audit protection (with the right firm) and the ability to deflect that recapture fee with a 1031 transaction.

Or ferry which runs daily.

Run away!!

You really need an infrastructure to run something like that - systems, people...and you have to keep it going. 

•To cash flow, consider:✅ Running a detailed STR revenue projection (AirDNA & Rabbu are great tools for this).✅ Factoring in seasonality—peak months can be lucrative, but slow seasons must be accounted for.✅ Looking at property management options—self-management can save costs but requires effort.4.

Or can you still run everything through your personal return (just want to make sure that I can deduct things such as HOA fees which I can do if it is a rental).2) If I do decide to run everything thru my personal tax return (save on LLC fees), should I at the least set up a separate bank account to track costs separately?

I did this by running Facebook ads.

Not to the extent of uploading photos and explaining repairs (that's pretty cool) but running comps, estimating ARV, reasonable rehab budget, profitability, etc.