You pay to set them up, pay extra to file your tax return, etc...and most people probably don't maintain properly.  90% of the people don't set them up correctly to maintain anonymity so nothing gained there either.   

You can generally tell the STR on the block because it's the nicest looking, most well-maintained house on the block.

The property was very well run and maintained, though the owner moved out of the area years ago, so rents are below market. 

Or can you repair and maintain them to keep them going for a few more years?

Trying to maintain and protect your corporate veil is the most difficult and unclear part.

How easy is the place going to be to maintain over the long haul (once I dial it in)?

For those who are close to or already reached the goals they set for themselves at the beginning, do you have any advice on how to maintain the ambition you had when you started out throughout the years?

I think managing remote also forces me to fix things so they won’t happen again as opposed to just sending a maintainer guy anytime something isn’t working.

Oakland California doesn't maintain an official list of units. instead they push people to affordablehousing.com I have units that are nice but like I said in the post the area they are located in isn't the nicest. because of this I have to do more active marketing for the units. 

I maintained a rental property through a year long military deployment later followed by a 15 month deployment, and again followed by a two year deployment.