-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend 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.

We hope to learn from others mistakes and wins.

But I could've made a mistake in my understanding of law "back in the day."

The lessons you learned the hard way in 2008 will be invaluable now, and it’s great that you’re aiming to stay small-scale and within your comfort zone of Sacramento, which gives you an advantage of knowledge in that market.Given your experience, I'd say start by focusing on three key areas to build confidence and minimize risks:Budget Control: Over-renovating was one of the big mistakes you mentioned.

Your comment does bias me slightly in favor of Indy, since at least we're talking about a manageable car ride.That said, I'd love to know the biggest mistakes you've seen - how do neophytes typically "crash and burn?"

For this to be my first deal I was applauded at the closing for “not making any mistakes”.

Some old Milwaukee sewer laterals have tree roots that like catch on to stuff.We also eliminate garbage disposals during rehab and normally we have someone from our team check out issues, before we send a plumber.

there are so many threads on BP from folks in NYC or CA or DC who bought a property in a "low cost" market and immediately regretted it:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1160450-run-i...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/1010977-12-00...i provide this information not to discourage you, but so that you can learn from what they did without making the same mistakes.  

@Amol KulkarniRecommend 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.

Here's my take on the decision:First, let’s look at the pros and cons of paying off your current short-term rental (STR):Paying Off Your STRPros:-You Eliminates your largest fixed expense (the mortgage), which increases your cash flow significantly.