It won't make sense for every traveler, particularly for a single, business traveler only staying one night, I might argue that STR's wouldn't make sense.But for a family of 5 that would have otherwise had to share 2 double beds and call in a cot from the front desk, it's a no brainer.My family of 5 was able to book a condo on the beach for 4th of july for 4 nights, about $250/night all in!  

I got most if not all of my travel for that year disallowed..

Also, if I am traveling out of the country, they are not dependent on my cell plan, as long as I have wifi I can send and receive calls with a virtual number from anywhere in the world. 

Travel expenses to out of state properties? 

I know personally when im looking for a place to stay if its a little more pricey my brain usualy jumps to "oh this place must be better than the others" since this is a heavy market for vacation rentals and not traveling professionals I could see that being a factor but it makes it very difficult to price and what price point to risk.

I am sure your agent was more appreciative than an expert who feels (overly confident) you couldn't have gotten a better person than him, the expert.

He would be confident in his ability to bring you deals you are interested in and if you like them then you can move forward with working with him. 

Not a bad plan if you are confident in that continuing IMO...time is your friend.

People who travel to Tulum are generally well-to-do and/or traveling in group.

Following David Green's Core 4 strategy (realtor, contractor, property manager, and lender) gives confidence to invest anywhere.