Long-term wealth is it's superpower, and yes, you have a little cash flow to keep the lights on. 

Biggest lesson learned was to keep at it, keep learning, and work with seller and title company to get the deal done.

Keep us updated. 

Obviously I want to keep my costs low but still want to spring for amenities that would give me a competitive edge compared to other rentals.

Like @Collin Hays said, it is being driven more by neighbors tired of poor STR owners not keeping things sorted.We only look for places in vacation areas with a long history of owner driven STRs vs big cities and the like.

I have been keeping them between $9,000 to $10,000, does anyone go higher?

And the elected officials and tenants wonder why rent keeps going up so much.I have been having to put in a lot of fire systems in properties we manage. 

I just keep hearing over and over again to just take action and course correct from there. 

If you truly want to "retire" young, keep investing and living your life you'll need a ton more.

A reserve is unnecessary, but I still keep around $15,000 - $20,000 in my account.The point is, that you should sit down and assess your finances to determine what the worst-case scenario may look like, how much you would need to cover it without impacting your life, and whether you will need to build a reserve.