We do not have kids, so are not tied to this school district or anything like that.  

Mine’s all tied up, but I have an investor eye so I see a good property when I look at the numbers.

Brought my brother in law on as a small partner so I wouldn't have so much capital tied up in the deal.

We didn't qualify for the jumbo loan so the previous owner carried back 95k of the loan which we eventually moved over to a HELOC in order to cut ties with the previous owner.

Most of our money was tied up in a vacation home in Nosara, Costa Rica ( we love to surf). 

@Daniel Sutton describes another method I have seen used to tie up a person's property, however that method also comes with risks, as you are essentially putting a cloud on the Seller's title.

One trick I found is that old rubber air hoses make for good tie down straps and that romex or extension cords can work well too in a pinch.Another is that getting into a house without a key is usually not that hard so I don't worry about keeping track of keys of properties I am not currently working on.

I won't be taking the same risk today with 80%+ of my personal net worth, and invest from a much stronger financial position. 

Personally, I think Kansas City and Indianapolis are much stronger cash flow markets and I would recommend adding them to your radar.

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.