In short, I can afford the additional $1100/mo cost of a second house, even until I rent it out.I have around $35K in HYSA and emergency funds that I could use for a down payment, but that's less than 20% which would be required for a conventional loan, assuming full purchase price.

Dig into more of why you're investing and if cashflow is the short term goal there are markets and strategies for that, ask anyone investing in the buckeye.

If you’re short on funds maybe seller financing or subject to deals, where you take over a seller’s mortgage or negotiate direct financing with them.

For example: We provide tax preparation and advisory services to people who invest in commercial (including multifamily) real estate, and high w2 earners investing in short-term rentals.

A lot of our housing stock here has finished basements or in-law suites, so with something like that you can generate significant rental income for an inexpensive conversion. 

@Tom Dieringer After purchasing my first property in 2024, I acquired most of my short-term rental (STR) knowledge from The Short Term Shop, which included maintaining respectful communication with guests, keeping calendar availability up-to-date, and ensuring high-quality listings.When I initially began May of 2024, I opted to list my property exclusively on a single Online Travel Agency (OTA) - Vrbo.

If the manufacturer doesn't have a color that's close enough, you can change to another manufacturer and try to match against their stock colors.Good luck with it!

The reason I recommend this is because as a short-term solution incase you cannot go full DSCR right out of the gate.

I have contacts for long and short term managers in the Tampa/ St Pete/ Lakeland area. 

I've done this on one house in order to cut costs - since then, I've added a meter with the utility company but it's a good workaround for the short term.