Just my personal opinion - get a mentor or a person who already has good experience running STR business, preferably in your area (but not 100% required). 

With a Conventional Loan you can buy a SFH, Duplex, Triplex or Quadplex with as little as 5% Down if it is your primary residence as long as you have the intention of occupying one of the units for 1 year after closing escrow.This is the strategy I have personally implemented and have assisted many of my investor clients in doing the same. 20% Down is also beneficial as it keeps your payment low but it does limit your ability of buying more real estate faster.i would be more than happy to discuss the different strategies with you over the phone or in person.

but i also 2nd @Jay Hurst's sentiments - get a 2nd or even 3rd opinion on DTI/ full doc. i personally love files that are puzzles, i get some weird satisfaction out of figuring out how to make it work on full-doc, especially when my client has been told "no" before. if it doesn't work now, a good loan professional will help you create a path forward.

. $50 per bedroom, so a 4-bedroom house will cost you about $150~200consumables - bathroom supplies, kitchen supplies, beverage supplies: $20~30 per week, depending on how much you providewear and tear - towels, linen, kitchen utensils, some furniture: $1000~2000 per yearRepairs/replacement for things that guests break or steal:  $1000~2000 per yearAlso, if your personal use is less than 14 days a year, the entire property's expense is deductible against STR income, but if you use more than 14 days, then you will have to calculate the proportion of how many days it's rented out vs how many days you or your family uses. 

The voucher is the most that Sec8 will pay for that person’s rent regardless of where they rent.  2) The second part of the Sec8 equation is the market rates for specific neighborhood’s and property types (SFR vs apartment, # bedrooms, # baths, utilities included vs paid by tenant, etc).

I have known and worked with Matt for years.I have attended his training and hired him as a consultant.He is hands down the best at what he does.I have personally raised over $50 million for my hard money lending company.I am grateful for a lot of people who helping me with this success and Matt is at or near the top of that list.

All the add-ons are a la carte so you can definitely get a lot of value based on what you need.One thing I personally don't like is that when tenants pay rent, they are charged $1 per transaction for ACH use.

I personally would never invest somewhere that could outlaw rentals.

TAX bene's were the play and GOZONE was great tax bene's but you cant count on a katrina for your investing thesis A wise person would listen to your story and stray away from this type of investment.

You'll want to put together a personal financial statement (basically lists of all your assets and liabilities) and have your tax returns ready.