If you go this route, you'll want to make sure you budget for furnishings.Some folks are venturing down to Pueblo if they want to go the LTR route, but in that case, you may not want to self-manage given the distance.Finally, while it's understandable that you don't want to be losing money every month, don't lose sight of the long term gains from appreciation. 

Here are the numbers, so you can see what I mean.The numbers are the following: 359,900.00 sales price (purchased Dec 2015) 89,975.00 down payment (25%) 10,000.00 closing cost (estimate - I don’t remember the exact figure) 7,000.00 required rehab (estimate - I don’t remember the exact figure) 106,975.00 Cash invested 3,900.00 Rental Income (actual figures) 150.00 Parking Income (actual figures) 4,050.00 Total Inflows (400.00) Utilities (250.00) repair budget (not an actual outflow, yet) (2,200.00) Mortgage (Includes insurance, taxes, and P&I) 1,200.00 Operating Inflows 14,400.00 Yearly inflow 13.46% ROI If I were to use the 50% rule I would have discarded the property. 

I have been attending Space Coast Investors, at 524 N Harbour City Blvd the second Wed of the month at 6:30.  

The STR rooming house would work, in theory, as a budget option for traveling going through town.

(Note) Max Budget on Skip tracing leads: $300 (ideally)

If you decide to search in the Topeka area, I'd love to visit with you and learn more about your budget and depth of work you may or may not want to take on with a new property. 

Can you stomach going over budget, time delays, and having to pay the mortgage without any income coming in from the property?

They’re typically quite affordable, so pick the one that fits your budget best.Using these strategies, you can maintain privacy and still meet the legal requirements for your LLC.

Financial Transparency:Managing the budget yourself allows for greater transparency in costs, helping you to identify where money is being spent and find opportunities for savings.It's important to consider the potential downsides, such as the significant time commitment, the need for substantial construction knowledge and experience, the risk of costly mistakes, and the responsibility for managing permits, inspections, and compliance with building codes.

If you're planning to invest less than $400-500k USD, the properties you could find within that budget will not stand out in the market, and you'll face high competition in the STR (Short-Term Rental) market.