Here’s a quick breakdown of our financials:Operational expenses (excluding mortgage): $33k (Jan-Dec 2024)Annual mortgage payments: $58kTotal needed to break even: $91k+Income earned this year: $80kClearly, we need to bridge a gap of about $11k just to cover our expenses, and I’m exploring options to increase profitability.

However, exploring out of state markets could offer stronger cash flow upfront, so it’s worth evaluating both paths.A piece of advice would be to focus on building your core 4  team: agent, lender, contractor, and property manager.

Each week, I analyze the MLS, exploring cities and towns across South Florida to identify areas favorable (or not) to short-term rentals.

If your wife and kids aren't moving in with you, then it's not your primary.

There is loans that cover the purchase and rehab so you could explore that.

If your HOA would allow it, I'd definitely explore that since you'd be back in town for a few months out of the year. 

1 of my kids went to prospect high.

Never making a large salary.Like you said, its incredibly important to make these big sacrifices before having a serious relationship and/or marriage and kids, because most times the significant other won't be on board to live so far away from everything.

Other items, such as football equipment from the kids’ league, were destroyed in the flooding, he said.More leaks have come from the plumbing between his first and second floors, prompting him to leave his light fixtures hanging unmounted from their wires so they don’t fill with water, he said.Clusters of dead insects cling to one section of his ceiling.

Looked up hotels and I see $350-600 per room per night for 2 adults and 3 kids.