My core investing philosophy is pretty simple, and has done very well across almost two decades and numerous cities:1) Invest in cities with population (and job) growth2) Invest in parts of the city where household income is near the median (or slightly below)3) Invest in properties that provide cash flow from day 1 Thank you for sharing that. 

@Caleb Rehg  I would advise your first step is to search this site for college student rentals and student rentals and read all you can. 

For anyone that is looking at developing or purchasing an STR in Packwood, WA I would take a peek at the numbers that are on the rental sites and the amount of bookings. 

Bigger Pockets is the right place to come for resources as there are plenty on the site here.

dogsbite.org is a propagandist site created by a web designer who was bitten by a dog.

I'm considering purchasing a condo or a small SFH in the Oceanside/Carlsbad area as an investment property and renting it out on a short term rental site like AirBNB. 

I can find numerous other similar homes for investors.

If you are using a third-party site to conduct the background checks, sometimes they have the option to send a person, a denial letter, and due to the fair credit act it may be required to send them a notice, informing them that you checked their credit and background so that they have a receipt that it was completed.

Check Better business bureau  site for reviews and so many complaints.

I use DealMachine, and I'm happy with it (I read the instructions you provide at the site, so I actually wasn't surprised by anything).