In anticipation of some objections surrounding the Realtor bit, below is a peer-reviewed economic study that empirically demonstrates Realtors do not sell the home for more money than FSBOs, nullifying their argument that their marketing efforts of iPhone photography, and picture slide-show "virtual tours" will somehow sell it for more to cover the extra cost of the commission.https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/38634/1/57...

Don't be afraid of putting some cheese on a cutting board with a couple of glass of wine on the counter for the photo, that's staging.

We still try to encourage friends to invest, if they're interested, but most just see the investor/landlord glass as half empty.

RE new home sales have not slided alot, but it has slowed.

I chug a huge glass first thing in the AM and really make an effort to just stick to it all day.

So squirt away, walk into your bank with the canvas bag, slide it over the counter and demand that they fill it up with good green real-estate-investing cash!

If I ever noticed one of their tenants standing in the parking lot on a regular basis, staring at me and my kids in our fenced backyard or into the house through the sliding glass door window, I’d be extremely creeped out and feel unsafe in my home.

Come back to me when you've had about 500 more tenants and we'll see if you've still got those rose colored glasses on. 

However, keep in mind a place being used for STR arbitrage is viewed as an asset and is treated as such (minor repairs made regularly often without bothering you and cleaned between each stay), whereas even the BEST tennants in the world view your property as a liability and will let cleanliness and minor stuff slide over time.

We use the google suite for office software: docs, sheets, slides, photos, keep it's all integrated nicely and it's free.