We haven’t really felt the effects of it yet but I think that is mainly due to the timeframe it takes for them to process claims and emotions from the devastation.

But from my understanding, the captial gains exclusion has two main criterias - you must have owned the home in the last 2 to 5 years and must have lived in the home in the last 2 to 5 years. 

The main reason I ask is because that is significantly below primary residence mortgage rates let alone any investment loans, if you can get rates like that I might need to make some changes on my end hahahTo answer your original question, assuming all else is equal long-term fixed rate debt is valuable. 

Also, how much time do you want to spend doing real estate vs. your main job or extra work in order to fund it.

@Alex Messner, your decision, amongst other factors, mainly depends on you and your wife's financial profile. 

Instead I want to take advantage of the opportunity I have of living rent free to invest my time and money in STR's to hopefully build that portfolio up and eventually make that my main source of income (I understand that will take time).

Looking at southern Maine right now, hopefully expanding after we get some momentum.

The other main way I did it was by just telling people that I invest and kind of just talking about it all the time.

We all don't care how much Apple profits on our iPhone... what really matters is the product or value we get or in this terms the ROI on our principal.The fees can be broken down in the three main fees (so you might have to combine some of the above fees under one of the categories below):Acquisition fee (paid % of the asset price) - normally 1-3%Asset management (paid % of the income the asset produces) - normally 1-3%Distribution or exit fee (paid % of the sold asset price) - normally 1-3%Development fees (this is present in development deals) - exampleNOTE: Just because these fees are high or the split structure has too much going to the GP does not disqualify it.

Similarly, homes that have unusual layouts or less traditional features often benefit from full staging, as it helps buyers envision how the space can work for them.That said, even in more budget-conscious markets, full-service staging can still provide a significant return on investment, especially if the home has been on the market for a while or if it's empty and lacks warmth.