I rented out the additional bedrooms to friends and family, charging them well below market, and sold when it was time for my wife and I to start our own adventures.

Quote from @John Brown: I have a friend with a property in a very desirable location in Texas that I believe would be great for STR.

They are investor friendly and popular amongst wholesalers.

I always found QB to be clunky, not user friendly and just kind of overkill.

From what I can see around here it is a landlord friendly state so when you turn your prop into a rental you should do well as long as the numbers are good.Acquisition is all about entry price.

Hey, I’m an investor friendly agent over here in Rochester.

At the price point you qualify for, I'd be looking at a more landlord friendly state with more approachable price points.

one thing is your lending your money way under what private money should charge. unless your just doing your friends a favor..

I have some guesses as to what the problem may be, but I need a good, investor-friendly plumber. 

My experience with friends/some clients is get their numbers via whatever method you can and reach out via the phone.