What's your best piece of advice or tip when starting out managing a STR?

Start by reading the Ultimate Real Estate Investing Guide: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides/ultimate-real-estate-investing-guide/introduction2.

After securing the deal, the buyer made my wife and I go through three-feet deep of snow to "winterize" the house so there wouldn't be any plumbing issues.It was a 2 hour drive there, and a 2 hour drive back.So much time and effort put into it for only $4k...

This monetary policy is intended to lower interest rates. essentiallywhen you print currency your devaluing it causing prices to increase (more dollars chasing fewer goods)also lowering interest rates has a stimulative effect to increase pricing because people borrow moreAnd it will make consumer goods and asset prices more expensiveThe people that survive and thrive during inflation are the ones that are buying assets and I believe low down payment loan programs are great for buyers just getting started and for buyers who already own property.

@Jay HinrichsReminds me of the cereal companies creating the nutrition / food pyramid.Of course they are gonna have an opinionated pieceI agree in vacation / beach areas they are great but once you start getting into true residential neighborhoods I can see them being very problematic

Now the downside...In my area they recently started mandatory lease renewals.

There are only so many PRODUCTIVE hours each person is capable of producing.  

After securing the deal, the buyer made my wife and I go through three-feet deep of snow to "winterize" the house so there wouldn't be any plumbing issues.It was a 2 hour drive there, and a 2 hour drive back.So much time and effort put into it for only $4k...

This is an exciting start of life-long journey I'm pursuing in real estate.

He understood what troubles I experience self managing from afar as well.There's no start up fees, no lease renewal fee, minimal charges of I find my own tenant using them to only place the lockbox and take photos, otherwise it is 75%.