There are three valuation methods used in the majority of Insurance Policie:1.

If you have been around for decades and saw the cycles you know what to look for in an investment.There are also syndicators that their God is money at all costs and they have big teams to feed so when their asset class dries up for deals they go putting together other asset class deals hoping who they partnered with will save the day because they need those going in fees to keep paying staff and living their lifestyle.My deals the pref is not super high for core plus but these are typically investment grade credit tenants with long term leases.

By default, the depreciation method for short-term rental properties is the straight-line method.

I have used this method, it works.

A popular strategy to execute the BRRRR method is purchase the property using a fix & flip loan and then do a cash out refi into a DSCR loan to recoup your equity. 

After the 2008 crash we did a lot of short sales and we got virtually all those deals through direct marketing with a few from bandit signs.When we moved out to KC, almost everything we bought were REOs listed on the MLS.When those dried up, we started getting a mix from wholesalers, a few hidden gems on the MLS and direct marketing.

Once, we move out of our unit, we have the flexibility to rent both as MTR or do a blend of other methods. 

Correct, I have housemates to help with living expenses; however, I am not really using the BRRRR method because my renovations are cosmetic (changing light fixtures, furniture, paint, small fixes).

Is one method better than the other?

Additionally, consider using a secure payment method for the deposit to prevent issues.