We paid them $2,500.00 in fees (underwriting, inspections, title search and their fees) before closing.

@Bryson Ragsdale search "house hacking biggerpockets" in spotify or the Podcast app and that should bring up the ones that talk about house hacking!

With that said, the best proactive measure for vacancies are to have none in the first place - meaning improving retention.

There will be different areas that are better or worse depending on whether you're in search of cash flow or appreciation. 

You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, Facebook, or a Google search.

Also, check out if there’s any new development or improvements happening nearby, as that can boost property values.

When I search on AirBnB I search through all the photos and when there is less it makes it less tempting to book(unless the price is attractive).

You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, Facebook, or a Google search.

Check out the threads that Nicholas L. linked to above then use the search function and you will find literally dozens more like it and begin to understand what can go wrong. 

Say my original loan was $500K, my cost basis with improvements is $1M and I cash out refinance with a $1M loan (can I include the interest of the new loan into cost basis since it’s reimbursing me my cost basis)?