The best defense against rats entering your property is to seal off all entry points (holes, cracks in walls), remove food sources (dirty dishes, food left in trash cans), and water sources (like leaks). 

The biggest issue is that forgetting to assign a location or choosing the wrong one can mess up your balance sheet, leading to inaccuracies.

@Stacey OlsonRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

There's money to be made whatever you decide to do but your biggest advantage is your age and time available to learn and grow.I have thought about house hacking for quite some time now.

I also am very interested in purchasing more STRs, and this is a really low risk way to see if I'm up for it (we have a 2.9% interest rate on our mortgage).My biggest concern is an ongoing plumbing issue we have had.

Like others have said, you need to find alternative lead sources to find a decent deal.

The biggest issue I see is that they are looking to restrict STRs in the area so why would I buy there knowing it could all go away.

However, there are some investors here who are having a lot of success finding cash-flowing deals through off-market sources. 

.-- The biggest indicator of turning public sentiment was just last month, in December, when voters in Woodland Park approved a ban on vacation rentals that also appears to NOT grandfather in existing licensed properties. 

And no matter what, keep an eye on how your financing structure lines up with your exit strategy.Where do you see the biggest risk.. sinking money into improvements or letting the buy back linger too long?