A spreadsheet has its place in your daily operations and tracking efforts, but I highly recommend starting with a software like QuickBooks Online to track your expenses in a more formalized manner.

My wife and I own 4 units and operate a 5th as an MTR arbitrage, and we definitely use furnishedfinder.com as well as AirBnB and Vrbo (min 16 day stay and no instabook). 

Interest income from fix & flip loans is typically considered passive income and not subject to self-employment (SE) tax, but other fees like origination fees and loan servicing fees might be subject to SE tax, as they're seen as part of active business income.However, because you're operating through a partnership LLC, some accountants might interpret that income as ordinary income, which could be subject to SE tax.

I have investment properties here in Columbus, Ohio, which has seen significant growth, especially with tech giants like Intel, Meta, Amazon, and Google setting up operations, driving up property prices and job opportunities.

That's just my $.02 but I'm sure others have been operating differently with success.As for neighborhoods, West Side, South Buffalo, Kaisertown, decent sections of Black Rock and Riverside, pockets of North Buffalo, maybe some sections of Cheektowaga are going to fall into those categories.

And, that is in a nice neighborhood where you can get $1100/mo for a 1 bedroom.Here it is: $50,000 rental income less CapX and Operating Costs @30% (don't forget you own 16-20 appliances that nowadays last maybe 5 years and can't be repaired) . . . =$35000 for debt service and return on downpayment.

I mostly operate in VA and NC holding long term rentals.

We operate in a 40 mile radius from our house.

If you operate an STR, gross income is your total rent paid by your guests, before any subtractions.To figure out your taxes, you take this gross income and subtract from it all allowable business expenses: marketing, education, technology, licenses and fees (including Airbnb and credit card fees), office expenses, business driving and so on.

If by real estate business you’re implying you have little or no money to invest but are contemplating using one of the guru inspired methods (subject to, “wholesaling” , fix n flip) to create cash flow, I’d encourage you to do research on the true success/failure rate of people who engage in these endeavors, the amount of money the successful operators spend monthly on marketing, and the real time commitment and knowledge and experience necessary for success.