Also, I want to know if a property such as this warrants an LLC even if it is my first investment outside of personal use properties.

Analyze each city's rental demand, property prices, and your personal goals to make the best choice.

Personal/rental/work.Normal insurance providers won't touch an airbnb.Any help would be amazing!

What scared in the article is the mentions of personal financial risks, LLCs not really protecting your personal assets, the amount of investors filing bankruptcy , social threats, scams, etc.Is this article over blowing these facts, trying to sell REIT ?

Ring doorbells are a life savior if a guest or service person has any trouble getting into the property.

.), I personally don't like properties with HOAs if your plan is to run them as STRs.  

Multi-family units (duplexes, triplexes) allow you to maximize rental income while maintaining some personal space.

I personally don't like wordpress sites since they attract a lot of spam.

I typically use regional banks to fund my deals but my 2 go-to banks have either slowed or fully stopped investment loans so recently I've connected with several online brokers but all came from ads or they reached out to me vs personal recommendations and intros so I have concerns. 

I personally invest in Columbus for its growth and appreciation potential, but the prices are generally higher than in other markets like Cleveland and Dayton, which are worth exploring if you're focused on cash flow, typically ranging from 10% to 18%.