Long-term rental and a short-term rental are two completely different business/investments.You should understand what each requires and see if you are comfortable with them.Short-term rentals, on paper, generate more income but require more work.

There are a lot of hungry rookies out there that will collect a "Broker fee" or have you pay for a LOI (letter of Intent) and it's nothing but a piece of paper.

That was when I realized she was the best tenant on paper and in all my background checks, but one of the worst tenants till this day in person.

Finally closed on my house in Jacksonville, Fl.I ended up giving Power of Attorney to my brother and having him sign for me.I would advise others to have their POA setup prior to leaving the US as I had to go to the US Embassy in Bangkok to have the POA papers notarized.  

I am "on paper" and considered to be the owner.No rental money will be asked to be paid to me as the family member is paying the mortgage.

Do your deal analysis on paper.  

For example, I know of a deal in Reno, NV where all the records were still on paper, and the owners didn’t even know the rents people were paying.When I’m evaluating multifamily properties for clients around the Reno area, I calculate current, market, and proforma rents.

paper, The Milwaukee Urinal, who even posted video of the guy being picked up without incident at his home by the Waukesha Cty sheriffs after he was charged federally.

I'm a career bartender though that makes around 55k on paper.

Too many headaches for cash flow on paper (which is actually negative in reality) : stolen AC unit (thieves climbed a 7 ft fence), attempted break in (alarm scared intruder away), repair issues, winter weather (make sure someone turns up the heat on a vacant property).