I'm new at section 8 rentals, do you usually get a lot lower than FMR?

Hope you take that as a compliment because that's what it's meant to be but I can imagine that Mexican readers could be a bit offended.As to your comments regarding that fleeing to Portugal situation, they're spot on, as usual.

Quick books will kill you and give you zero value, negative actually.   

It's usually more tailored for rental properties, covering things like loss of rental income and liability.

Real estate is not a get rich quick strategy so time and patience are usually needed to scale operations. 

The big thing your friend probably wants is that it is your contact information that prospective tenants see when they reach out.A general tip beyond the usual blackout curtains, nice bed and safe area, would be that we've seen that most of our bookings come within days of a lease expiring. 

It seems reasonable to ask for proof of employment, perhaps a (small) security deposit, but beyond that, they don't want to bother with the usual "getting an apartment" paperwork.

Getting started is usually the best thing someone can do because prices can sometimes appreciate faster than people can save.

Military tenants are usually decent.Is STL best for flipping, buy & hold, or BRRRR? 

A 401K loan would probably be your best bet since any interest you pay on the loan usually goes back into your 401K account so it's essentially interest-free.If that's not an option here's an interesting article about different funding options using retirement accounts: https://www.moneycrashers.com/401k-ira-withdrawal-...I'm not a tax or accounting professional and you should probably talk to one to get the best mitigation of potential tax liabilities.