Financial freedom requires:Your rental income must increase faster than inflation so you will have enough money to cover inflated costs in the future.

Strategies like REPS and short term rental loop hole can be complex and expensive to get wrong from a time and money perspective. 

Because you are literally guessing at market rent and the PM will…1) keep your application and denial process legal2) advertise, screen and place the new tenant faster and better3) probably save you more money than they cost you. 

Don't we think investing in the US is risky with high interest rates, historically low affordability and cash flows and high prices inflated by 15 years of artificially free money that's gone for good?

@Trey Campagna without knowing much about your situation I'd say the first thing to do is to use a VA loan to buy a primary residence with as little money down as possible and the lowest interest rate available.

Here's a few thoughts- On the math side you know you will take a 35% hit if you sell but how upside down will you be if you spend the money to finish the rehab?  

In the past 2 years, I have used my extra money to pay off student loans by interest rate. 

The newbie, unknowledgable agents that can't really help you will do it until they realize that they are wasting their time and gas money.

What I mean is this Money market at Bank of America pays for instance 4%, the money market local Bank of Bricktown Pays 4.5%, an online outfit is offering 5%.

They paid higher down as a place to park their money, propping up the housing values.