It seems to me that whenever I get a message or booking from a VRBO guest, it takes it a little while to show up in HostTools whereas airbnb bookings seem to be instant.  

If you're not sure of you preferred direction with your next property I would invest in understanding investing more thoroughly and read 5-10 books as well as speak to other experienced investors.

Begin by educating yourself through books like The House Hacking Strategy and podcasts like BiggerPockets, and join online communities for support.

This is the BEST $100 you will ever spend, and if you listen to Amanda Han's tax book, you'll know it's also likely a business expense for you to write off :) https://biggerpockets.supercast.com/My perfect way to learn from the BP books is to listen to the audio book through the subscription above, then books that really stand out to me I go old school and get the physical copy so that I can re-read it, take notes in the margins, and put post it notes so key points are easier for me to re-reference in the future.

@Michael BaumEvery property we ever stayed at had a physical book so yes - it definitely suffices.

Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.Here's a guide that teaches you how to analyze a property.https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rental-property-cash-flow...Finding deal that cash flow is the easy part.

This step by step process is all laid out in Scott Trench's book "Set for Life".

Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.You need to get a firm grasp on two things: the ways to make money with real estate, and how to find deals that match your goals.P.S.

Also, for me 30+ bookings tend to be less profitable even though there are less vacancies.  

With the use of VRBO, Booking.com and direct bookings can all raise your chances of staying booked and being successful.