From my perspective, it seems like stretching the budget is almost a necessity to afford a property big enough to house hack in Denver—even with a good job.Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!

In our experience, the #1 mistake landlords make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.

M1 was an interesting experience.

I chose to invest most of those gains into a trucking company due to the lack of patience at the time and my 10 year experience being a tractor trailer w-2 driver.

I would try to tie those experiences and skill sets to your REI path.  

What is your mentorship experience and background?

There are many HMLs that will finance new construction, but much of it is based on your experience, credit score, and the expected sale price.

As I have noted in another thread, the number of individuals who post on BP about the Huntsville market that have zero experience investing or managing properties here has accelerated recently for unclear reasons. 

Now you are saying you have no experience owning/operating an STR, that's another hit.  

Once youve got a few months of experience and everything is stable, start looking for the next one.