i'm looking to lay down some allure (ultra or plus) and looks like one is 3.8 and the other 5.0.

@David NewIf your time frame is only 8-12 months, your options are somewhat limited.There are many ultra short ETFs that hold commercial paper and treasuries that could push your yield above that savings account.

The ultra expensive luxury homes won't be hurt as much.3.

Vacancies are minimal here but the secret is to have good photos, a good story, ultra-clean space, and pricing that entices that first guest that changes with seasonal demand.The best thing about short term rentals:  they can be long term rentals too - if needed.Hope this helps.  

I think there are plenty of places to achieve that happy medium, especially if you are the sort of person who doesn't have to live in an ultra-hip part of the country for either professional or preferential reasons.30 was my "retirement" goal, but I've amended it to "as soon as practical" :) For me, that is $30k+ yearly "passive" cashflow, since I can personally live on that and remove the necessity for a conventional job. 

Biggest piece of advice I can give is to be ultra-conservative with the ARV and buy right!

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Retirees that want ultra security and are wanting to live off of the income and keep pace with inflation.3.

The one agent I know in SoCal who does high end properties has mentioned that the commission there is typically 5% (2.5% for each agent), so this is pretty much in line with that.I imagine for the ultra-high end (like this property), commissions could be even less, but remember that at this price range, the agents are taking a risk as well, as they often sink thousands into marketing the listing and if it doesn't sell, they lose money.

Avoiding ultra-liberal markets.