Putting yourself out there, going to meet people, and having CLARITY in your vision for your business and your long term goals is the only way to earn TRUST from others who would be willing to invest in you.

I have the vision and aesthetic in my head, and we're trying to make it super appealing for short-term rentals (our current STR is across the street and it's fully stabilized and doing very well).

haha It's in the past and the good thing is you have a new vision going forward. 

Looking back I’ve come a long way... my vision gets clearer as I accomplish my goals one at a time .. day by day check by check .. getting closer to the main goal ... my side business is starting to grow ..

You don't necessarily need a lot of capital to get started, but you do need a vision for what you'd like to do (asset class, niche, volume, locations, etc).

Other buy and holders in Northern CA and similar markets - are you content with a deal like this where you're in the hole $300/month with the long term vision of either increasing rents or selling in the future for a big payday? 

Direction and vision are paramount when you beginning in RE and there are SO many avenues to go down.

It's great to see a young person with such vision.  

You can buy an 8-camera wired system with DVR from Night Owl with motion detection spotlights that turn on when the the camera senses motion in the nearby vicinity, night vision, HD resolution, for somewhere around $300.

I was impressed with his vision and commitment and willingness to solicit and listen to advice.