It should be common sense that if you respect your tenants, understand the culture and provide a positive and enjoyable experiences, in many cases that is reciprocated.

It is your choice to believe it or not and I respect your decision.Just for you, these are the very first properties you see when you search Chicago.

Without proper boots on the ground, your property will never get the proper love & respect it truly deserves (I get it.

One mistake or big unexpected expense could ruin you if you only have one or two rentals that are not cash flowing.That said, especially in the current environment, if you are coming from a very strong financial position then there may be times where it may fit your goals to invest in a highly appreciating area with no or negative cash flow.

From what I hear, Vrbo is much worse than Airbnb in this respect.

With all my respect, most real estate agents have no clue what the laws are.

I don't just hand over money unless I have a good respect for the person. 

I respect him and what he did for BP, but that sounds like bad advice. 

So far a little over a year later we are a super host and premier host on Airbnb and VRBO respectively.

With all due respect, $43,000 is not that high for a salary nowadays.