Don't be dishonest with AirBNB and by association, with the guests.

A virtual assistant could easily help with the day to day listing management, guest communication, and other virtual tasks.

@Larry KingReal estate professional status has nothing to do with STRs.

Mostly I get guests who are visiting family, businesspeople who need a longer term stay, and now I am hosting guests involved with suppliers who are scouting the area.

I keep comparing to Aussie and other countries world wide.Buyers agents pretty much don't exist and only listing agents do.true, US is almost always the most complicated one, in other country no need to have buyer agent but there're more, no need to pay tax when selling house, no need to put all 2000 pages disclosure when selling house  , no need to have house with so many certification (required in some states ) before renting it out , no need to hire expensive licensed american-born General contractor when repair house, no need to call specialized licensed educated electrician / plumbing with ipod because it's just .... plumbing. no need to pay tax with annual increase .... no need to pay ridicilous amount of insurance every year no need to check their credit score and immigration status when renter is impying LOL the list is on and on

Even if you get through the flip without one, once you go to sell a lot of realtors will protect their clients by looking for permit status. 

Today I listened to a podcast where the guest speaker spoke upon his real estate journey and how he acquired a multi family unit property with little to 0% down in the Chicago area through a program called NACA. 

Swanny BP Podcast 238 guest

Many of these GP's are trying to uphold a status or reputation.

We got our first mid-term guest booked before our property even was finished.