STR seems to have better tax benefits (in the right market) but is it worth it at a distance ???

Too many low income apartment buildings near by / vacant buildings. 

If we sense there is a red flag, were asking them to upload additional documents like tax returns w2's etc.

.🔥 Why Co-Living & House Hacking Work So Well Together✅ Higher Rental Income Per Unit – Renting by the room typically beats traditional rental rates.✅ Lower Vacancy Risk – Losing one tenant doesn’t mean losing all your cash flow.✅ More Affordable for Renters – Competitive pricing attracts a steady stream of demand.✅ Built-In Community = Lower Turnover – Tenants stay longer when they feel connected.✅ Allows You to House Hack a Single-Family Home – No need to compete for pricey duplexes and triplexes!

Here’s the situation:Purchase Price: $540,000Down Payment: 20%Mortgage Rate: 7.125% (30-year fixed)Monthly Expenses (Mortgage, HOA, Taxes, Insurance): $3,706Realistic Max Rent: $3,000As you can see, I’m currently short $706/month even with max rent.

Cosmo - I personally don't know Phoenix well, but if I had to do this in another city I would look at income levels, crime levels, and population growth (if you can) by zip code and/or area within a DMA as a starting point.

Akron is a very blue city and are not very landlord friendly - source of income protections, etc... 

Further context, I have zero debt, high 700s credit score, one other investment property here locally. 175k in cash available, looking to do DSCR loans or cash and then refinance.Peoria, Illinois- Great need for lower income housing, market appears to have many options.Lawton, Oklahoma- Looking only at extremely cheap properties, as it seems it’s not terribly hard to find renters.

Currently, my strategy is to rent to section 8 tenants for the guaranteed income.

Gross rental income divided by 2 (50% op ex ratio) equals net operating income.