MTR is great, but there will be long "orphan" periods in between bookings, which leads to lost revenue.My advice, stick to areas that are more STR friendly and blend the rental strategy for maximum income.

One strategy to rapidly increase door count would be to leverage an equity position utilizing a cash out second equity line or fixed second loan as a down payment for a new primary purchase of 2-4 units.

I started a little before you and did pretty well until notes started becoming more expensive and difficult to find, and then I switched to other strategies.

I currently have an umbrella policy with Geico but they will only insure up to 5 homes. 

To start, complete your profile, set investment goals, use educational resources, network, analyze deals, seek mentorship, and focus on market research, financing options, investment strategies, and property management.

Have you honed in on what strategy you'd like to dive into?

@Duy Xuan Do, your logic makes sense on the house hacking front, but I would really encourage you to explore other types of rental strategies, such as mid term renting or rent by the room.

My tenants pay for their own utilities, and I own homes in Memphis, TN, but I was wondering if this was a solid strategy for tax benefits and energy conservation or to see if anyone else does this for their rentals. 

I would reach out to your insurance first before your lawyer.Second step is to figure out how the water got in. 

If so, we can connect, compare note, talk about strategies, look over each other's deals, etc.