I've seen these situations spiral out of control and lead to occupants neglecting/damaging the property, such as making holes in the wall to look for hidden cameras, nailing doors and windows shut, etc.

How do you organize your leads, Brandon?

While slightly more “boring”, with the amount of money you have to work with you could probably finance 4-6 $200,000 rentals and generate monthly income that could go a long way towards replacing / supplementing  a descent portion of your W2 income. 

Selling your rental property for a big gain can lead to a significant tax bill, but there are ways to soften the blow.To reduce your 2024 taxable income, consider selling any underperforming investments to offset gains with losses.

I'm disappointed your PM is not leading the way.

You are already ahead of the curve because most rely on number of doors and cash flow as their primary purchasing criteria which leads them straight to the C/D neighborhoods. 

Guest takes more care of the property, since you,  the host, are the only judge to decide if you retain or not the deposit in case of damage or issues.Another Good: You can write in your contract that non respect of rules may lead to lose some of the deposit: Like noise, or a very unclean check out, etc...

If you have a good sales agent, or if you get the lead on the phone, offer incentives for them to move in.

In general, I price myself 10-15% high outside of my avg lead time, and discount fairly aggressively inside the lead time.This strategy attempts to capture both the planners who will pay a small premium to secure a good data ahead of time, and the last minute deal seekers.In general, it seems many people don’t vary between weekend and weekday pricing enough IMHO.2 ideas I’ve toyed with… in 2+ years I’ve never not booked a weekend.

This appreciation was a testament to the thoughtful improvements and strategic management that went into the investment.The Outcome:Today, the property not only stands as a valuable asset but also generates a robust monthly cash flow of $2,500.