I find condos/townhomes to be easier to manage out of state because the HOA handles a lot of the maintenance, just be aware of condo fees and find a place that is reasonable like $300-400/mo or less if you are lucky.

@Rebecca GonaBigger Pockets is a great place to find a tax accountant that specializes in short-term rentals. 

As U.S. citizens residing in Europe, we are required by the local tax code to hold the property in our personal name.

A lot of forum members are experts in their respective fields related to real estate investing, whether that is real estate sales, wholesaling, flipping, buy and hold investing, lending, self-directed IRA and Solo 401k investing, or tax and legal guidance.There are some pretty nice discounts on many products and services offered as Perks to BP members that you might want to check out: https://www.biggerpockets.com/perks/proIf you haven’t been to it already, the Bigger Pockets blog features links to their fantastic podcast and many great articles: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/The site has quite a few tools that can be helpful for new members.

The commissioner ordered me to pay the plaintiff over $9k plus her attorney fees.

are they asking for up front fees? 

So the question becomes based on their individual and personal tax situation what is the estimated tax burden they'd save? 

Quote from @Jeff Sanders: Personally coming from an agent/investor in CA, I always get a quote from a broker of mine and make sure I am knowledgeable with the fees/costs.

We now live in Arizona and I frequently fly back to the southeast to repair or inspect the properties and already deduct the travel, lodging, and half of the meal expenses from my taxes. 

The northland MAREI meeting and the main monthly meeting at MAREI have a minimal fee, or for $99 a year you can attend all of them for no extra charge - northland is in person, the main meeting is still online, both are great ways to connect and learn.