I've been researching this quite a bit and am looking into acquiring an STR that I would actively manage and would keep average stay at 7 days or less. I would like to meet the requirement of spending over 100 hours o...

Institutional hard money lenders will not lend to you personally or on a home you are occupying.

Has anyone here participated in the Wayne County Treasurer's Auction of Tax-Foreclosed Properties?

I was offered LTV of 54%, 6% rate from a commercial lending institution but that LTV isn't feasible for me and was definately a lower LTV than I expected.

Apparently, the Chicago Housing authority provides a one time incentive equal to the first month rent to first time owners participating in the program.

However, this is a difficult qualification to meet, especially if you have a full-time job outside of real estate.Don’t worry if you aren’t able to qualify for REPS status, because there is another strategy that is referred to as a “loophole”, which is the STR strategy.Per Section 1.469-1T(e)(3)(ii)(A): there are six exceptions where your rental property income is not automatically considered to be “rental activity” and thus may unlock the door for being able to offset these losses against your active income.The average customer use is seven days or less.The average customer use is 30 days or less and significant personal services were provided (for example, daily housekeeping).Extraordinary personal services are provided, regardless of the duration of customer use.The rental is incidental to a non-rental activity.The property is available during defined business hours for non-exclusive use by various customers.The property is used in an activity conducted by an S Corporation, partnership or joint venture in which the taxpayer holds an interest.If your property qualifies by meeting one of the exceptions above, the next step is to demonstrate material participation in the rental activity.

BRAND NEW (developed from the ground up and everything) brewery is opening on that bikeway the university has been pitching for years.I'm convinced that the university & city planners design the campus as a resort rather then an institution of higher learning.

DO NOT invest with Chris Walters or Jim Thorpe, they are repeated and known scammers who have been issued fines by the WA State Department of Financial Institutions and are currently under investigation. 

Material participation.

Stessa's reports are great, but the sync issues with financial institutions drive me nuts.