I’m a CPA, local Real Estate Agent, and own/operate a property management company here. 

The key factor is ensuring the property qualifies for favorable tax treatment by adhering to IRS rules regarding short-term rentals and material participation.For the 7-day rule, the IRS requires that:The average guest stay must be seven days or less for the property to qualify as a short-term rental.If the average stay is 30 days or less, you must provide substantial services similar to what hotels offer, such as daily cleaning or concierge services.Regarding material participation, to further classify the income as non-passive, you must meet one of the following criteria:You spend more than 500 hours actively managing the rental in a year.You manage the business yourself and spend at least 100 hours, with your involvement exceeding that of any other person involved in the rental.Please note there are actually 7 ways to qualify, the above two are the most common.

Any property managers and realtors for that area whom you would recommend?

We specialize in owning and operating (we are vertically integrated and manage our own properties) multifamily in markets that have good job growth and good population grown but are underserved and fly below the radar.After underwriting many deals in the North Carolina markets for almost 18 months we found an off-market deal that met our stringent underwriting criteria.

Curious how the marketing / mailing system works and what the mail cost is.   

@Account ClosedIf you are good at what you do the it should not really be a risk but cost of doing businessIf you are trying to do this remotely without seeing a property, having an understanding of value or repair costs then it’s not risk it’s just stupidity as you really are not wholesaling.

And the numbers work the same no matter how many you have so his idea of owning 60-90 properties and whos gonna manage them sounds a little ridiculous.   

Investing in the property just back from Oceanfront maybe the ticket, but yes I think most investors are not looking at the high costs of investment in beachfront. 

How are you managing AC systems?

Hired a property management company.2.