It's definitely possible to find really caring and competent small local companies or individuals to help run your STR from afar though, you just might have to do a little digging to find them (and pay more than 10% management fee, haha)

As a buyer competing with other buyers on a hot property.  

I live in the Northeast and have spoken to a few of the major players in property management.

You'll get blown off in my market, too.This kind of perception that there are competent and dependable contractors out there just clamoring and eager to make investors rich is one of the big lies of guru REI advice.

I almost ignore the MLS these days (ok, not completely) because there is precious little multifamily inventory and everyone is competing for the same deals.

If you can find a CPA that either has bookkeeping in house or can refer you to a competent bookkeeper, that is certainly preferable.

If they know they are competing for the job you'll get better pricing and a more accurate diagnosis.

If the numbers still work and you can manage or have a competent manager, you will end up with good cash flow.I would stay out of Cleveland as if you need to use the court system, they can be not so landlord friendly imo.

A bit annoyed here.  I bid on an auction hosted by H&M.  I bid $235k and was highest bidder when auction ended.  Then, new clock started ticking saying I was "outbid" and had 3 minutes left to enter a higher bid b...

I recently watched a YouTube video where a guy was able to shop rates for one of his refis by taking a letter of approval from one bank to another and forcing them to compete with each other's offers.