, demand came from travelers, students, and nurses.

This will give you an idea of traveler's budgets and what's in demand in your area.As far as design and photo recs, connect with those in your market to get referrals from other MTR (and STR) operators.

Both could be vacationers or business travelers or anything else.No matter what you quantify your STR is, you need to fully furnish it well, have plenty of amenities etc etc.

Giving away the place cheap only creates more work for yourself screening lower income individuals, and attracts scammers.

I bought the cheap lowes light blocking blinds. 

We see many travel or remote workers looking for flexibility with their stays, such as healthcare workers. 

Does it make sense to cheap out over the few thousand dollars it will cost to go through a proper escrow and title process?

That is a cheap pet fee and good cancellation. 

They are stuck in 2014 when notes were so cheap and easier to make money: now pricing is tight and even just buying to resell is challenging.Note investing can be more passive than other aspects of real estate but still takes a lot of work as well as a lot of experience and knowledge as there are many moving parts that can go wrong 

Even if you have to travel a couple of hours, you have a much better chance of finding someone.How to approach a mentorOnce you've found a likely candidate, it's time to reach out and ask.