You should have a good idea of every expense you have in your primary home, then add the STR specific:  (These are rough estimate numbers, depending on various factors)STR insurance - a special insurance that covers both the property and your liability, could be $2~4k in areas without natural disasters, could be more than $10k in some other areas.cleaning fee - approx. $50 per bedroom, so a 4-bedroom house will cost you about $150~200consumables - bathroom supplies, kitchen supplies, beverage supplies: $20~30 per week, depending on how much you providewear and tear - towels, linen, kitchen utensils, some furniture: $1000~2000 per yearRepairs/replacement for things that guests break or steal:  $1000~2000 per yearAlso, if your personal use is less than 14 days a year, the entire property's expense is deductible against STR income, but if you use more than 14 days, then you will have to calculate the proportion of how many days it's rented out vs how many days you or your family uses. 

And here's the thing about flat rate vs %, flat rate is integrity. 

There are many factors, as with any real estate market:(1) Location. 

Some strategies to get around are:1. leverage your current portfolio and buy in cash, increase value, and then refi2. buy Multi-family so your ratios aren't the main factor to lenders3. get in with a lender for high net worth individuals4.

I'm not in that market so I can't speak specifically to it, but to me the deciding factor would be what the surrounding units and area has. 

- Depends on a variety of factors Also, as a real estate investor, can I write off 100% of the education travel for real estate, such as the Bigger Pockets Cancun conference?

A lot of the success stories and content we’ve seen in the past came from a very different rate environment, so I’m definitely factoring that into my approach.For now, I’m planning to focus on the Jackson County/MO area, specifically around Lee’s Summit where I have some local support from family.

Keep in mind, though, that each lender has their own criteria for how much future potential they’ll factor in, so it might come down to some skillful negotiation and presenting detailed projections that don’t feel like puffery.Just be careful not to come off as overly speculative…lenders tendd to shy away from what sounds too good to be true.Anyway, I’m curious.. have you spotted any other investors in Gainesville facing a similar refinance puzzle and what kind of terms were they able to secure? 

An inspector can also evaluate at a surface level the structural integrity.

ON THE OTHER SIDE, the liability and cost of fencing it in, as I would need to do, is a huge factor...