You are effectively operating a hotel, which is a business enterprise with very different risks and hazards to insure.  

That will likely be one of the side effects of improving your property and should be accounted for in your analysis.

If I take a break, that part of the business cannot function effectively.  

Wouldn't hurt to consult a tax pro just to make sure there isn't a more tax effective strategy but I don't think lending provides any tax shelter.

This will get you the name on the dog on record designating that specific animal as their ESA.

Luckily mine was zoned commercial and so the regulation didn't effect me and actually helped as it greatly reduced the supply in the market. 

Plenty of STRs that perform just as good as the pool STRs because they have a great design, location, or other fun amenities that have less liability and headache.

I do ground-up urban infill multifamily development and we are effectively at standstill as far as new projects go.  

One of the most important steps you can take as either a startup landlord or seasoned one is to use a platform specific to property management as it will elevate your operation and save you tons of time.The good news is that nearly every software designed for landlords includes these features.

That's by design.