but if you're that leveraged, it will be higher risk and very difficult to cash flow - so that is not something I would typically recommend.

I did have one near downtown that I sold as that crowd was a pain, lots of parties and difficult guests.

Quote from @Zachary Deal: One thing to keep in mind if you are doing this is that you are likely to create "functional obsolescence" which could mean you are not able to get a new loan against your property and it can be difficult to resell as well. 

There is a very strong effort to ban them completely from R1 zoned areas which has made it very difficult to apply for a permit unless you buy a house which currently has a permit in place.

Depending on your level or preference of analysis, data and their providers are incredibly important and difficult to obtain when it comes to real estate underwriting.

That being said, it's very difficult to get rents to even cover PITI payments at 80% loan-to-value in Utah these days. 

But it's difficult for me to just hand over money to someone I've never met, when I have so many friends (and have read so many stories here) who have been ripped off by contractors.How can I protect myself?

Hey Celine, from my understanding its very difficult to grow a portfolio of short term rentals using the BRRRR method as an out of state investor.

In some instances, it was difficult to locate the source of the high water bill, but ultimately, it was discovered that there was some leak on the premises.

As for our area, it is very difficult, even the 600K for Alexandria is not for single homes.