Coming out of the 1031 I'll have about 620k to invest which means I am looking in the 1.5 to 2 million range if it matters.

No matter what program you use, you're going to see a major jump in pricing/rate from 25% down to 20%, and again from 20% to 15%.

., it doesn't matter how far away your STR is.

It is not the size necessary that matters, but whether they have regulatory oversight and how they are managed. 

A mentor can accelerate your growth, no matter what level you're currently at.

And yeah Marquette, MI is an appreciating market and a college town where everyone complains about increasing rents (and their bad landlords).Hopefully I can still find a few properties that can cash flow anything, no matter how small, with zero down but I'll have to see if they'll pass VA inspection too.

But properties priced and marketed appropriately can still go under contract in a matter of days.

Depending on how you are acquiring these properties you may be able to just do one per year but that only matters if speed is an issues.

I suppose it is all about the numbers and market, doesn't matter where you find it!

(Sidenote, cattle inventory in the US is at an all-time low and now we are shutting down imports from the south because of a parasite "new world screwworm") - so I guess my steaks are going to go up no matter what.