Any advice or insights from your recent experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I think it is going to be custom to your business and its something that those who have experience with will do better at.

I typically don't comment on other's businesses unless I know from personal experience.

experience: I’m on my 3rd flipage: early 40sday job: brand and web design/development retirement savings: noneI want to learn about buy and hold to secure having SOMETHING for retirement!

Hiring a property management company with experience in the markets you're considering can be a game-changer.Have you identified which markets you want to invest in?

You don't need to know everything to get started; you need a foundation to build on, and the rest will come through experience and then refining your education.You can build a basic understanding of investing in 3-6 months.

I'm looking to connect and network with other investors, contractors etc who have experience in this market. 

And I suppose the likelihood of us getting more STRs in the area is directly tied to how good/bad our experience with this one is!  

Can someone share your experience or point me to the right place?

I was just hoping there was someone that had personal experience with them.