To my great surprise, this was not the case.Additionally, the estimate for my tax preparation for this year was approximately $1,000 over the cost I paid last year (including the time I paid for them to correct their errors).

Mark, I think you under estimate these federal employees..

If your agent’s estimate of $280k is accurate, this could be a good time to sell.

Some, like the last one we got in place, used a drive by estimate of value rather than a full interior appraisal.  

Compare other rentals with a similar size, location and bedroom count to get an estimate of what the rent would be while you're living there.

The estimate I have from a cost segregation firm is $316k (w/ study) vs $28k (no study)-Assume we're in the 37% bracket  -Does this mean, I can claim a $117k depreciation deduction for this year? 

@Jason Dubon I take the cost of all appliances and divide it by 5 (avg lifetime of appliances these days) to estimate annual cost of appliance replacements.

If you decide to revisit STRs, you might want to explore properties where you can project expenses independently, such as using local STR forums or online tools to estimate maintenance, management, and occupancy costs.For networking and strategy-building, you might find local meetups or groups beneficial.

This either sounds like a seller looking to "retire" and liquidate his holdings or a Section 8 owner that hasn't kept the property (or rents) up to market levels.So, based on the numbers you're using, what return (IRR, Equity Multiple, or ConC) are you estimating you'll generate over your expected holding period?

In the event that any meaningful percentage of 10-15 million (estimates seem to vary widely depending on which news source you prefer) current illegal immigrants are deported, real estate investors will have a big problem as vacancies soar.