If you're a single mom with student loans, a car payment, and living paycheck-to-paycheck, then $20,000 would be devastating and a reserve is critical.

Document everything and if he is not there then access the property and resolve the issuemold could have also come from the way they lived in the home.

I live in a community where half the people never lock their doors.

I'm assuming that this situation wouldn't pass inspection, but one could argue that all the spaces the guests have access to (i.e. bedroom, bathroom) are safe and habitable + the guests wouldn't be exposed to the kitchen.Also, do the city inspectors inspect other parts of the home the guests won't access (i.e. inspectors check the basement for water infiltration even though no guests would ever be living or even going down there). 

She prefers they sell the house right now, as is, and live off their profit.

I live in SoCal so if I wanted strong cash flow I would likely have to look out of state.

I'm from Newburyport and lived in Seaport for a while.

So now I have both my personal residence and a leased property as STRs.Even though I live 3 hours away from my leased STR property, I've built a team that assists with managing it, so I don't have to be there all the time.Here are some key things I've learned:Regulations: Research the specific STR regulations in the state and city where you're looking to buy.

Loving living and hosting in Tuolumne County.  

Also Mid-Term Rentals to traveling professionals, people displaced for insurance reasons, or doing a renovation to their home and needing a place to live for  3 months or more are also possibilities.