I have a unique situation where a long time family friend inherited a single family house in Jersey City from her deceased mother.  

House hacking is a possible alternative, but given California's high real estate values, investigating other areas may be a good decision.Houston, TX is frequently seen as a favourable alternative for out-of-state real estate investing for various reasons: Diverse Economy, Population Growth, Affordability, Landlord-Friendly Laws, Job Opportunities etcRemember that success in out-of-state investing often involves ongoing communication, local support, and adapting to the unique aspects of the chosen market.Good luck!

You can score unique, high-quality pieces at lower prices, but be prepared for limited sizes and colors.

The furniture and décor in a house speaks volumes about what type of person lives there, and has a huge impact on what types of people apply to become a tenant.

Balancing college and athletics can indeed be a challenge, but it's also a unique advantage. 

The property location, configuration, decor and amenities factor into who is going to want to rent it and how much they're willing to pay. 

Not hacks exactly, yours were great....but I believe that the two most important are 1) Being super clean, you almost can't be clean enough, 2) Be unique.....Set yourself apart from the competition.Beyond that, just be fairly priced (esp on cleaning) and limit the extra charges, I always just pass when the fees start to add up....

Every submarket/micromarket is so unique, it's hard to know what your's can support when it comes to retail, and what it would be like to deal with those types of tenants, especially small business owners who may operate on a razor thin margin, like most food/coffee businesses do. 

. - Furniture & Decor  Roughly half of the STR's clients have acquired the past two years have been sold furnished.

But, you need to have a well marketed, unique property.