Cost of value add was $120k, so over $580k of increase above costs.  

After a year at staring at insurance data daily, AZ insurance rates are only increasing marginally, while most states are damn near doubling.3.

They say that their customers see a 30% increase in revenue but they don't make any guarantees.   

But once I got the bills, I increased the rent with the tenant's approval and signed an addendum to the lease stating the rent increase would be X and the owner would take over utilities.

My plan for this year is improve my credit, get my real estate license (to increase my income on top of my W-2), possibly career transition into the property management space (to learn more), and save as much as possible and learn as much as I can.I’d love to house hack close to home but my area is so expensive it seems like it’d be close to impossible. 

The only two ways to rectify this are (1) purchase the property far below market price or (2) significantly increase the property net income usually through some method of “repositioning”. 

Many states have discounted property taxes and lower yearly increases for owner occupied properties.

And since you are licensed, you can potentially do some sales on the side to increase income and save up for investing.

Here’s a streamlined perspective:Your current approach, putting more down upfront, minimizes risk, increases cash flow faster, and allows you to build equity while reducing overall interest.

I think we have enough software in the STR world lolWhat if we made a guide to increase occupancy rates that centers around marketing, guest experience, and ways to stand out in saturated markets that isn't simply "buy more amenities"?