I've tried to network as well - reaching out to property investors, multifamily developers, that sort of thing.  

I usually connect my investors with my contractor or inspector to walk through the property so that everything can be sorted out in one go, or I have my clients make an offer subject to a walkthrough, allowing us to get the ball rolling.

As they say, you are sort of rolling the dice, you can keep winning 30 times then lose big once and go broke.

Most of our rental properties have a dining room or some sort of dining area.

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

I have researched, bought, and used all sorts of products to test effectiveness.

Not sure how Las Vegas operates but when I get a code violation of any sort I get certified mail delivered to my personal house and multiple other regular mail attempts. 

However, I could see that changing in the next 18-36 months, and as someone else mentioned, maybe you are able to get some sort of a discount today and in 3-4 years you look like a genius. 

So in my case, we selected June 1st - June 29th, adjusted the minimum stay to 2 nights for that period, and upped the rent for that period to STR rates. 

Since you are taking on additional liability having tenants in place, you're probably going to want to update your insurance policy and put some sort of asset protection in place - most people use an LLC for a small portfolio.