I figure Open Door just chose massive bundles of properties and set up a bunch of automated processes for buying, but I don't know. 

self-managing one STR from afar is super easy. with the proper systems and automation it should not take up more than 2h of your time per week, and that's with you never going there. i don't think it's wise to do turnovers/cleans yourself even if you're trying to save money, because you're not a professional cleaner (i'm assuming) so guaranteed you wouldn't do it quite as well as a professional + would run into issues accordingly. 

I have two degrees in mechnaical engineering and in automation, I had several coaches during my corporate career (paid by my employer) and KW offers a lot of exceptional one-on-one coaching.

@Nathan G.Good question. 12,500sf: I have found that that is the min number of square footage where you can automate a facility and still achieve close to maximum efficiency with expense ratio.

It has a lot of automations and a communication system built in, so everything is done quickly.

I've tried automating this and hiring out, which seemed like it could have been promising.Pulling Lists- I've tried pulling lists before, but it seems like everyone is targeting the same lists.

I am sacrificing some return to fully automate my facility with just maintenance staff we are closing in January and am coming in with 10 percent down.

They aren't too bad if you automate things.As others have mentioned, reliable cleaners that do a good job are critical to your success.Changing regulations, saturation and a slow economy (like now) can cause you hardships.

That part is not automated or easy I expect.The other thing is perhaps figure out where cash buyers hang out...and get in front of them.

-We've pretty much automated our early month rent collections efforts, so we have a spike in activity mid-month when we have to decide to send eviction notices to attorneys for court dates.