I'm looking for case studies.

It’s a balancing act of controlling costs while also controlling risk of personal injury to your tenants and property visitors as well as maintaining goodwill with all involved at the properties. 

I would study AvantStay and some of their properties in your area or NC generally.

Making money in real estate requires experience and starting with no or little money makes you study harder.As much as most of us probably wished for it, getting started with a lot of money in your pocket is a recipe for disaster: the temptation is to make the deal work by throwing money at it.If you want to go into real estate go with a syndicator with a good track record.

If OP can lever-up while maintaining adequate reserves, he will be in better position than buying with heavy cash position.  

Purchase price: $187,000 Cash invested: $15,000 Sale price: $259,000 I got tired of moving place to place and worrying about finding roommate, security deposits and not having enough money to deal with maintaining someone elses home.

It’s a great reminder to trust your own due diligence and not let others make critical decisions for you, like hiring a property manager.For future investments, building a trusted team and maintaining direct oversight is key, even with remote deals.

However, I'm unsure about the costs of maintaining the SL in Spain, especially cause I read in some forums that these costs can be pricey..Do you have any views on the above based on your experience?

@Tom Dieringer After purchasing my first property in 2024, I acquired most of my short-term rental (STR) knowledge from The Short Term Shop, which included maintaining respectful communication with guests, keeping calendar availability up-to-date, and ensuring high-quality listings.When I initially began May of 2024, I opted to list my property exclusively on a single Online Travel Agency (OTA) - Vrbo.

If you did a cost segregation study on the property in the past, you may have to recapture the depreciation taken in the past.capital gain tax rates are 0, 15 or 20%There is also a potential 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax.Also, don't forget state income taxes depending on what state the property is located or your state of residency.Best of luck!