In this type of situation, they want low interest rate with low down payment also.

Are there specific factors you look for in an area to make sure it’s a good fit for this type of rental setup?

Types of current tenants. 

My first reaction to your post is if you're purchasing assets that are throwing off positive cash but your DTI is going up then it may be time to re-evaluate the type of assets or the expenses associated with those assets.  2.

It kind of depends on the type of properties you're looking for funding on.

This is the heart of the reason housing isn't mroe affordable, that landlords bear these types of costs every day.You could probably find cheaper labor, especially to haul away the junk, but not easily as an out of state investor. 

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

Some high-end STR's (like in Joshua Tree) do use professional models, but for your market and property type, I’d suggest removing personal photos and focusing on the space itself, so guests can imagine themselves there, which is really what you want.You also have 81 photos, that’s too many.

@Nick Rivers I would HIGHLY recommend walking through an underwriting exercise with someone 1:1 that already does the type of U/W on a property type that you're interested in.

I would not necessarily advise being cash flow neutral or negative before you account for these types of things.