I think the story across a lot of the upstate is similar, net exodus from 2000-2020, followed by a surprising increase in prices and population growth following the pandemic as people (and companies) searched for affordability. 

Glad to hear that you are using Equity Trust already as they happen to be our official partner for self directed IRAs. :) It sounds like you are looking for a specific investment opportunity? 

I recently purchased a Short Term rental property and plan to self manage the property.

If he is so confident then he should show his results instead of promoting it without making his own commitment.  

Knowing where you stand at all times means you can scale confidently and with precisionI’d love to hear from you!

In my case, I have residential rentals in one LLC, commercial properties in another, self-storage in a third, and my real estate company operates in a fourth.

If you pay the $250 and they say it's all perfectly glued and installed schedule 80 then you're going to have confidence without worry.

I wonder what would happen to passive investments when the interest rates sharply increase. 

Quote from @Jaycee Greene: A few things I noticed, in addition to having the tenant pay the utilities are:1) Incorporate annual increases in rent higher than 2% (in your area, maybe 4%-5%) with a slightly smaller increase in operating expenses (say 2%-3%)2) With a gut rehab, I'm not sure why you need to spend $128/month on cap ex, at least for the first year or 2.3a) An 80% cash out refi is probably going to be hard to get.

After talking to my accountant we feel confident we meet the requirements.