Expensive and unnecessary in the beginning.

I look for markets which are stable and friendly towards STR while still imposing some barriers to entry to keep the dumb money away.

They require that any written advertising contain their logo (which has to be as prominent as your own logo if using both), must disclose licensure and they also want to review every piece of written marketing to ensure that it doesn't open them (or you) up to unnecessary liability.Personally, that last piece is what makes it difficult for us -- our brokers are pretty rigid in what they don't want us to say, and it is detracting from our marketing success.

As a wholesaler, you rarely take title to a property, so I think this is an unnecessary expense.

The first pillar is avoiding unnecessary and risky activities (don't drink and drive, insurance generally won’t cover your poor decisions) and take good care of your investments(maintain your property, etc) - these simple steps will help you prevent lawsuits before they even occur.

Some companies will complete unnecessary work and bill you for it as a way to earn income too.

A person must step out of their self-imposed establishment to do this but vacancy is the bane of all landlords.

With all of the short term rental regulations being imposed in major cities, tons of short term rental investors are now looking to move their money to markets such as Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge where the economy depends on short term rentals, and there is a minuscule chance of regulations on STR's tightening, which is continuing to drive the prices up.Also, one thing to remember in a competitive market: if the cash-flow numbers work at full price, it's still a good deal. 

I have also recently begun getting rid of unnecessary debt obligations in an attempt to decrease my monthly expenses in order to save more capital for REI.

For example, real estate tax.A special assessment imposed directly upon such property by any taxing authority, if such assessment is imposed for the purpose of defraying the cost of any public improvement.