They are an over-leveraged consumer who has no business risking their family's liquidity so they can call themselves an investor! 

I think we're going to see the demand slow and we may even see certain markets that have over-built which could seriously impact rent rates and occupancy rates.On the other hand, rising interest rates may result in fewer buyers and more renters.On the other hand, I think a lot of newbie investors are going to start selling off because they're tiring of dealing with tenants or they're divorcing or their market shifted or...Who knows?

Something to keep in mind with STR, that's tied to why REI is a smart game to play - control is the name of the game.You want to control the guests and rates (vet them in hopes of avoiding property damage, set rates to attract those willing to pay more for quality)You want to control the costs (furnishings, consumables, cleaning/repair/plumbing/electrical)You want to control the property (choice of property, location, financing terms, well or city water, septic or city sewer, etc)This is all going to be very hard to do, if not impossible, if you don't OWN THE PROPERTY. 

It's not that I've never met a competent buyer's agent, it's that I believe that the service they provide doesn't match what they cost, especially in this day and age where all the neighborhood metrics, comps, etc can all be found online.In terms of getting a license, I have a day job that consumes most of my time. 

More can be gained by going and doing than by staying and consuming. 2.

You should also call your town or county's consumer affairs dept.

We've consumed as much information as we can in the last month, but we're stuck on how exactly to start implementing.

In order to convert current home into rental and to come in under 50% DTI, I'd have to take out an interest only HELOC on our current home and consolidate $50k of consumer debt into it.We haven't owned our other 3 rentals long enough for the rental income to show up in our DTI calc.

I feel that paying down consumer debt is the best first step.

Your best option is to continue working with your lawyer, the fewer the number of outside partied involved in a situation like this the better.