I immediately got home and created a laminated note about the unique local bakery, which bakes the best croissant I have ever tasted, including the croissant I had in Paris, just around the corner of the Airbnb listing.

Real estate helped me reach my simple goal: create cash flow for today and secure a comfortable retirement for later.

Specifically, must this be a commercial/business loan type where you have higher rates and shorter loan life or is there an alternative loan type? 

There are really great REI opportunities in different markets - markets in the Midwest and Southeast of the country are particularly lucrative - where not only are the purchase prices reasonable for most RE investors, but the homes are turnkey (new builds or completely rehabbed homes, tenant ready, systems 10 years of life remaining on them, property management teams in place) with appreciating home value AND appreciating rent.

PMI is locked in for life.

If your rental rate is below the market anyway, a Tenant might consider this to be win as they would get the lower rate in the beginning and just rise to the level they were looking at everywhere else.Step clauses can be written right into the lease, or created by using 3 month lease terms with an auto-renewal at the step up rental rate price. 

Many of the investors I know have dialed back on their private equity investment or have changed to doing debt instead of equity so it was not prime time.

Owner occuppied loans regualted in every state .. must have state license and NMLS registration.NON owner occ loans on 1 to 4 units are regulated same way in about 15 statesin the other states they are unregulated.Keep in mind though investor loans do not follow the same rules as owner occ and rates can change charges can change closing dates can be blown through etc

The thing I'll be changing is the financing I've been doing with a local bank, which has been a bit slow and cumbersome.

I don't need that in my life.