Then I find out a week ago they sold the property at a loss, ALL my capital is gone, and Ken McElroy goes on his merry way making youtube videos about how much money he is making. 

Quote from @Matthew Posteraro: Me and my wife are aiming to start our real estate investing journey with our first house around June/July in the Lehigh Valley area.

Yes. they do expect you to live in the house.

I have done some deals that barely have a little positive cash flow in neighborhoods that I know very well and know that the house should appreciate well and that I will have no problem always finding great tenants.Hope all this helps.

I made some in depth STR marketing videos on youtube (I come from a hotel marketing background) before I joined BiggerPockets and people loved them.

Here's a decent video teaching you how to take marketing photos.

@Tony SchmuckerFrom my experience of working with over 400 investors, your strategy to relocate, house hack, and transition properties to management is a strong, methodical approach.

When we moved, we turned it into a rental, hoping this would be the start of our real estate journey—something we’d like to continue once my husband retires.Some key details:My husband is active duty and will retire in 3 years.We have one final move coming up this summer to Raleigh, NC.Our current debts are crippling us—the high interest makes it tough to stay afloat every month.The plan I proposed to my husband:Sell the rental property.Use the proceeds to pay off all our debts, set aside emergency funds and a down payment for our next home.Free up $1,500/month from debt payments, and that also can stash in a high-yield savings account.Regain full VA loan entitlement, allowing us to purchase a multifamily home and use the house hacking strategy for up coming move.Avoid capital gains tax, since April marks five years of ownership, and the tenant’s lease ends in May.This wasn’t our original plan, and we hate the idea of using our equity to pay off debt.

@Daniel Madhavapallil Congratulations on your house hack!

If the home has a really nice layout or beautiful interior and it's not getting many showings, I would definitely recommend a video tour.