Looking to purchase one and struggling with the right calculators to determine the real metrics.As I understand it (recently looked at buying a former bnb) you need to treat it like any other STR with your extra costs such as food, etc  baked in to the expenses.

Your experience with listing the property for sale in a high-interest market highlights the importance of market timing, and it's great that you adjusted quickly by renting the property instead.

If you brought your spouse and 2 kids with you, and you could argue all of your argue of your time on the trip was looking at real estate, and your personal business and activity circumstance defends being able to immediately deduct it and not treat it as a start up cost... likely 75% of much of the travel costs (airfare, food, etc) would be non-deductible. 

Just my food for thought here

Highlight the work done in your listing, such as before-and-after photos and upgrade details.

When you read, make some highlights, underline some passages, make notes. 

I do manage some small apartment complexes and generally there are not too many issues, but not zero.Also, for me as a PM I have fixed costs per unit, so to have 5 listings in 1 house would be cost prohibitive.Just food for thought, good luck!

Highlight the landlord friendly States

Highlighting the STR revenue potential, especially in a prime location, could attract investors looking for both income and future appreciation.Steps to take:Prepare a detailed financial breakdown of the property's current performance and future projections.Include comparables in the area to show both STR potential and anticipated appreciation.Offer flexibility in the buyout terms (e.g., structuring it as an installment plan if needed).If you can’t find an individual investor, you might look for a property management company or real estate investor group that specializes in STRs.

Anything that is already there you can highlight in your listing, but people who need these items generally don't move around a lot after paying to put them in wherever they are living.