And you see whatever you pay your channel manager as worth the savings/extra revenue from direct booking? 

I have also heard that buying new and having a good warranty is worth the extra money.

I know some ladies will love the indoor laundry...but they may also love an extra bedroom or office more?

Here are a couple other tips:- Describe each room with LONG descriptions with tons of details like mattress type and bedding quality.

Because it's my first property I want to take advantage of the higher cash flow I should receive because of my low mortgage payment.I'm more interested in just establishing the HELOC before it becomes an investment property so I have access to the extra funds should I need them.

Well I probably need more details, but to keep it simple. 

Provide Accurate and Detailed InformationPotential buyers want to know as much as possible about the property before scheduling a viewing.

But in many cases they will just ending up routing you back through a broker which brings you back to the above scenario, so you've really gotta pick and choose well.Keep in mind that if you do find one, there will be things you need to do on your end such as specific signage, obtaining certificate of insurance from any vendors you work with (cleaners, handyman, pool guy), etc.Safely I believe also includes liability as an option in addition to their usual damage protection at an extra cost, though in that case you're paying on a per booking basis rather than a yearly fee, and it's likely going to be quite a bit more expensive. 

Now I have seen others in OOS investing sales put together very detailed FAQs and i suggest anyone selling to an out of state person have those either to e mail to the buyer or on your website.. this will cut down on hours of needless what about this what about that. 

Better to invest in SFH with yearly lease and just rent STR when needed for personal use instead of involving in owning and extra management of STR.