Converting your single-family home into a rental property involves several considerations to protect yourself and ensure smooth operations: Establish an LLC:Liability Protection: Holding the rental property in an LLC can protect your personal assets from potential lawsuits related to the property.Tax Benefits: An LLC can offer tax advantages, such as pass-through taxation, where rental income is taxed at your individual income tax rate.Insurance:Landlord Insurance: Ensures coverage for property damage, liability claims, and loss of rental income.Umbrella Policy: Provides additional liability coverage beyond your landlord insurance, offering extra protection.Deductions:Mortgage Interest and Property Taxes: Continue to deduct these expenses.Depreciation: Depreciate the cost of the property over 27.5 years, excluding the land value.Maintenance and Repairs: Deduct costs related to maintaining the property.Property Management Fees: Deduct fees paid to the property manager.Filing Taxes:Schedule E: Report rental income and expenses on Schedule E of your tax return.Separate Accounts: Maintain separate bank accounts for rental income and expenses to simplify bookkeeping.Lease Agreement:Solid Lease Terms: Ensure your lease agreement is thorough, covering rent amount, due date, late fees, maintenance responsibilities, and eviction terms.Legal Review: Have the lease agreement reviewed by a real estate attorney to ensure compliance with local laws.Tenant Screening:Background Checks: Perform credit, criminal, and eviction history checks on prospective tenants.References: Contact previous landlords and employers for references.Property Management:Regular Inspections: Schedule regular property inspections to ensure it's being maintained properly.Maintenance Fund: Set aside a reserve fund for unexpected repairs and maintenance.Moving Out of State:Communication: Maintain open communication with your property manager.

Option 1:Pros:Simplicity: You avoid the potential complications of alerting the lender.Maintains Low-Interest Rate: Since your loan is at 3%, you continue benefiting from this favorable rate.Avoids Immediate Full Payment: You won’t be forced to come up with $45k immediately.Cons:Risk of Detection: If the lender identifies the payments coming from an LLC, they might call the loan due.Potential Consequences: If the lender enforces the due on sale clause, you might be forced to pay the remaining loan balance quickly.Option 2:Pros:Transparency: Being upfront might build trust with the lender.Possible Flexibility: Given your solid payment history, the lender might agree to the arrangement.Legal Compliance: You avoid any potential issues with violating the terms of your mortgage agreement.Cons:Risk of Loan Acceleration: The lender could still decide to call the loan due, forcing you to pay the remaining balance.Potential for Higher Payments: If forced to refinance, you might end up with a higher interest rate.Given the pros and cons of each option, but a cautious approach might be best:Consult a Real Estate Attorney: This can give you a clear understanding of your legal standing and potential risks.Evaluate the Importance of the 3% Rate: Weigh the benefits of keeping your low-interest rate against the risks of potentially having to pay off the loan early.Consider a Gradual Transition: This method allows you to continue benefiting from the low-interest rate while reducing the risk of triggering the due on sale clause.

Any help and possible partnerships are welcome and we continue to grow.

I do not want to go into another vacation market but rather a metro area with a more diversified economy again just to get into a different type of asset.That being said I do want to continue to short term rent the next few properties we get at least in the first few years of ownership in order to increase cash flow to combat these higher prices and carrying costs before potentially converting to more passive long terms down the line.Therefore I am looking for markets that 1) have a decent draw of visitors year round 2) have regulations that allow strs in some parts of the city 3) Are in growing cities in the west or south.Below is a list of markets I have identified as potential places to look and I was hoping to get some insight from either other investors doing the same thing or agents/investors in any of these markets on whether this is potentially a good market to explore or not.1) Salt Lake City (this is right at the top of my list due to its proximity to ski resorts, expanding of the airport and long term strategic business planning of the area but I have very little knowledge of this market)2) Denver 3) Phoenix (used to live in AZ and like the fact that the state of AZ seems to look favorable on strs)4) Tucson (see above but lower home prices/potentially less appreciation)5) San Diego/LA (these are attractive because of their proximity to my home in Irvine)6) San Antonio (love that it is very close to the booming Austin and feel that this is a market that could see some real growth in the future)7) Tampa/St Pete (I have always been very interested in this market for both short term and long term rentals)8) Raleigh (have invested in Charlotte and love NC but again very little knowledge on this area)Any insights or advice on any of this would be greatly appreciated.

@Drew Sygit As I continued my search, I did noticed those typical companies that act as a statutory agent for a monthly fee.

The post from Teresa Meng is false and my attorney is now handling this slander and libel thats continuing as she was previously already put on notice.  

They have been bought 3 times in the 28 years but I’ve continued to work with them and many of the faces have remained the same.

But for now I am continuing along with my normal W2, saving as much as possible, and learning every chance I get.I am looking to meet like-minded individuals and hopefully some mentors along the way.Steven              

Quote from @Steven Gesis:   Brian, I read an article in Bloomberg the whole premise of the business plan for a particular operator was a "double pop" and a short-term fix and flip strategy all focused on high velocity  multiple refinance events, floating adjsutable rate and the hope and faith of continued rent growth coupled with low interest rates in multifamily -   I wonder how this is working out for them now.

Doing a house hack you get the advantage of a place to live while you're continuing your RE journey.