It's a finance institute of one form or fashion, they will use it if it's in there best interest, and that means the person who holds the button to drop that ax.

The very basics would be getting your furniture and shopping list together, keyless entry like Schlage (with backup lockbox with physical key very close as well), looking into insurance, local taxes for STRs, and moreAlot of ways to save time and make it easier to self manage with a property management software like Hospitable and data research like AirDNA.

You’ve got to follow the rules closely, and that means working with a qualified intermediary (QI) who’ll hold your funds in escrow while you shop around.

It can be helpful to have that old fashioned sit down like you said, but it's no longer necessary. 

It is challenging in the winter months as people tend to focus on the holidays, shopping, dinners, parties, etc.

Pursuing a SFR in the fashion I mentioned above would be more amicable, but this depends on your ability to enter.   

We syndicated 75%, plus costs of the purchase price and financed the balance with a traditional loan.We shopped around for weeks to find the perfect loan with the best rates and terms.

Finding information this way is often faster when necessary information couldn't be obtained directly through the internet.That's the old fashion way of doing things before the internet.  

It amazes me how much random transient travel it gets(bowling tournaments, pawn shop remodels, manufacturing employees, traveling photographers, etc). 

That's why, its best to shop for quality lenders.