What helped me the most was taking a "cram course" that strictly taught the test. 

We have a very strict system for loaning out the money, but it's secure and protects all parties involved.   

While they are registered with the SEC, they are not held to the strict standards as a public offering would be. 

California has some pretty strict renter laws and ADA laws. 

They are strictly for business purpose/investment properties only. 

Otherwise, I base my similar decision based strictly on the numbers.

If the fundamental basis of investing is strictly cash flow, you'll want to make sure your net income per month is actually double your mortgage.

I also had reason to believe I could hit $7500 or $8000 on this property (not 100% that I could, but a buddy was doing similar numbers in a similar property but also being less discerning with guest screening and had a longer run time to build up reviews).If my end profit was $5000+ a month, the headache seems more palatable.But, when Airbnb decided to give a no questions asked refund on $20,000 on confirmed “strict” bookings, and the str market tanked, I switched over to LTR and haven’t looked back.

We are looking to continue to buy up there since the price points are lower and insurance doesn't seem to be as strict in GA like here in FL.And remember, "The best time to buy a house was 20 years ago, the second best time is now!"

These companies are strictly resellers of some widely available skip trace datasets out there and all they need is average IT guy to set everything up for them to resell the data they buy.