To set the stage, I'm owner of a short-term rental property in the Poconos in PA and we use a property management company for bookings, maintenance/cleaning, guest management, etc.This past weekend we had a guest booking but when the guests arrived Friday evening the house had no running water, though it had been running fine earlier in the day when the Property manager (PM) was at the house to give a final check and leave the welcome packet.

Im looking at house hacks in Raleigh or Greensboro.

I bought 14 houses basically for free by harvesting the equity in my houses by doing 5 cash out refis.

We bought a new primary house in November and had a rental contract on our old house that started Jan.1 2025. 

I am looking at different loan options but to break even (not having to put any money of my own in the house after the initial down payment) the current down payment required is that much. 

What would you do in my shoes I don’t invest there so take this with a slight grain of salt but I’ve heard multiple stories of basically this exact scenario someone getting offered a big payday for something in Cumberland, rejecting it & always for some reason (house burned down, block got worse, sheetz decided they actually didn’t want someone’s land for a car wash after all) always selling for like 10-20k and regretting not selling. 

Ended up calling the Jersey City Division of Housing Preservation and in essence the entire home has to be in good order even if certain parts aren't accessible to guests.

Quote from @Scott Vaeth: I purchased a house in South Carolina this past year with the goal of BRRRRing it.

Besides ALE Solutions I did Express Corporate Housing and will be signing up for Furnished Finder.

You’ll need to handle inspections, work with housing authorities, and make sure your tenant screening process is solid.