Hi Dan -In the line of resources, for a more simple way to get some info on occ rates and going rates, you'll also want to check out something like www.airdna.co , which can give you a bit more comprehensive information on short term rental analytics... there's a free report which will probably be all that you'll need.I would add that when you're looking toward other listings to drill down a bit more, keep in mind that it can be difficult to get apples to apples comparisons, as the success of one listing over another depends often times more on the way it is managed than the amenities.  

Compare apples to apples closely..

The Apple stores or online will have all the details.After a few meetings when you have an idea of who you should speak with introduce yourself.

I lived in Houston for 6 years after living in Austin for 10 and am now back in Austin.Austin is a technology hub, not just for semiconductor manufacturing but for actual technology start ups like Solar Winds and Dell and many others and stalwarts like Cisco, IBM, who both have a strong presence here and Google and Apple who are in the process of building campuses here along with GE and Visa.The lack of state tax, low cost of living and abundance of land makes Texas a great prospect for major corporations to set up shop (Samsung continues to expand their chip manufacturing plant as we speak) Even in smaller towns like Waco, you see job growth and new companies coming (mostly manufacturing) simply because the cost of doing business is so much cheaper.

We close some in our house (in our large closet and unused bedrooms), and I even put a large magnet over them to help seal them where we don't need heat. 

I'm finding that to upgrade to a proximity tag or intercom system type entrance access system for tenants I'll need to replace the doors with something that has the electric/magnetic strike. 

How about toyota, how about Apple?

To compare rental income / cash flow only to total return is apples to oranges comparison.

Could my friend also slap on a couple magnets with ads for the LLC and expense the miles driven from/to the LLC home office to/from the “day job” as mobile advertising?

You're not comparing apples to apples.