Like someone else mentioned, doing a short term rental in a secluded basement that is very private and walled off is one thing, but sharing the same refrigerator, kitchen thermostat, etc. with a complete stranger seems like it will introduce more problems than what the money is actually worth.

Maybe I'll need to give it some more consideration, haha, especially because we could probably actually go see some properties in person that way and she speaks passable Japanese.

This will cost you money on the back end.

Best way to think about hard money is as a bridge loan.

We hate to call it "hard money".

You are referring to "no money down" real estate.

Then again, if you’re talking about a mortgage on your personal residence, and you live in a state with an unlimited homestead exemption for creditor attachment like Texas or Florida, there’s an asset protection consideration as well.   

However, I don’t have experience with motels, and I know they come with unique operational and financial considerations.

A number years ago, I went to town buying a bunch of rentals in a short period of time and I can assure you they took money from my family instead of putting money in my family pocket.

People that have "amazing deals" outnumber "people that actually have money to execute on them" by a ratio of 10:1 or 15:1.