I just can't imagine why you would liquidate your successful, growing real estate holdings to send your money off to something that is super risky and doesn't pay that well over the long term.

You need to be careful around the risks of sudden price changes, market stoppages and watch for transaction fees.

Not everyone has the same priorities - some care about interest rates the most, other care about the points the most, getting the most leverage, closing timeline, reputation, smoothness of the transaction, etc. 

It seems like you are pretty successful. 

Many mortgage shops do NOT allow their loan officers to also be RE agents on the same transaction to much of a conflict of interest. 

Affordable relative to the rest of the US so great place to work remote or just enjoy a reasonable life without being hugely cost burdened Cons: A lot of older than 1980s construction (you 100% can be successful with these properties just have more to check during due diligence) Need to be mindful of market rents in the area and not overspend on renovations where there is not ROI to do so, you can’t usually exceed $2 sf on rental rates and average price per sf is 1.25-1.5 sf (neighborhood, unit type, and finish level specific).KC is not a boom and bust market, you don’t get the high highs or the low lows.

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $340,000

Cash invested: $20,000

I bought a 5-bedroom, 2.5-bath home in a great neighborhood where my wife and I wan...

I can't imagine the logic of sitting there and reject it all when they have been doing what I want to successfully for years. 

I’ve experienced success in the STR market here in St Pete myself but I’ve since transitioned my properties to long term rentals for convenience and time management sake.

Assessing brokers based on their transaction history and success in the market carries more weight than simply focusing on the highest price offered.