Our dollar is losing value so you need to be with a solid operator in institutional assets that cashflow in markets while hedging inflation with tax benefits. 

I've been in the lending industry for 5+ years now both as a loan officer and a broker and a processor, have also done some UW.Over the years, I have seen how lenders and brokers spend marketing dollars. 

That's too much effort required to earn a few dollars on a short-term stay.

Keeping a 2.99% rate sounds great, but it may be costing you thousands of dollars if you are in the double digits with your other outstanding debts.

@Chris Kay to learn to properly DIY manage you have two basic options:1) Trial & fire on your own, hopefully not making a major mistake that costs you tens of thousands of dollars.- Once your time is more impotant to you then the cost of a PMC, you can hire one.2) Hire a PMC to guide you on your first rental and learn from their expertise.- You can buy additional properties and DIY manage those, perhaps leaning on the PMC for any issues you're not sure how to handle on your own.Good luck:)

A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

If you don't know what you're doing, 40-60% lump sum initially, 15-20% tranches in dollar cost averaging is best. 

Why would the government waste our tax dollars paying higher rents than the market?

Ask yourself, why would the federal government pay MORE than market rent and waste our tax dollars?

That 3% is not matching real inflation, and you're getting long the dollar.