This is when i was telling all my friends to buy duplexes - even at higher prices (at the time), because anything you bought made sense with a 2.75% rate.

Had the chance to do this flip with a close friend that did not have to capital to take it on themselves.

For example, we have a friend with an LLC with four beneficial owners.  

An ATX friendly STR realtor that I reccomend is CRIBS Consulting.

You may be able to bypass some of those hurtles based on your country of origin/where you have friends and family but in most cases investing in the U.S. will be way easier and will yield a better ROI. 

@Scott Trench that's leadership my friend!

WA is not a landlord friendly state, but if you are going to invest in WA, the eastern side has some hot spots like the tri-cities area that may yield good cash flow and appreciation and still be close enough for you to go there when you need to. 

The outcome was great.. they secured a mid-century home with a rental unit that offered both a comfortable living space and a reliable income stream.On a personal note, a friend of mine made a bold move and purchased in a slightly less popular area.

Being a solid investor friendly agent doesn't solely rely on pitching people off market opportunities.

i.e. hard money, friend/family money, 401k loan.