Thanks to gurus, some coaches or mentors, we have young people coming into real estate with insouciant attitudes about this industry as if it were opening up a blacksmith shop to sell horse shoes.

This isn't a race to the bottom. 

or opening week for the Del Mar horse races (going on now!)

I think you are putting the cart before the horse.  

I am aiming at only purchasing these types of properties so I can exit the rat race much earlier than expected. 

We all have to go to work to pay off our debts, and that enslaves us to our jobs and traps us in the rat race.  

Once STR hit the craze people went to MTR and in some areas like STR the market is over saturated and it’s a race to the bottom of who can provide the cheapest housing.Have you considered just doing a long term rental?

It's not a race.

This is not easy but is a great way to get out of rat race.

I value my time and beating a dead horse isn't my style.