They could have owned the home for many years and if homesteaded, are limited to up to a 3% increase each year.

Cash has no limitations or second parties that can capsize the deal.

I think the simplest summation of Booking is that if you are willing to live with very limited and frustrating customer service it is a great tool to fill gaps in the calendar. 

Some transport companies have house kats that can get off the road and onto the site for an additional charge or you can hire a third party if the access from the road is limited.  

As an appraiser I’ve appraised a handful of properties recently that are outside of city limits and operating successfully as STR’s that don’t have the same regulations as the city of St Pete.

. -- appears to have some properties that would cash flow well, but may be limited on long-term appreciation.I'm looking to stick to market-rate properties.  

This is a humongous audience to tap into so you have to take advantage of it sooner rather than later to find great real estate deals and motivated sellers.Your best bet to connect with people quickly is to run Facebook ads and promoted posts.

That limits LTR possibilities IMHO to some degree.

My business partner and I bought into it  quickly saw its limitations then just as quickly canceled our service  within two weeks.

But from what I've observed (and I'm sure you've seen too), only a few new investors, who are more analytical in nature, do this.One of the issues that I've seen again and again is new investors putting together a "spreadsheet" based on their limited understanding, that produces inaccurate or misleading numbers.