@Craig Imazumiare you going to go to your chosen market in person and and put some time, legwork and networking in?

Do they pay on time?

Seller is only required to do what is in the purchase agreement, so now is the right time to address that.

I know this will disappoint most BP forum readers who have been taught they can live behind a computer screen and make sound investment decisions based on zillow zestimates and the number of available rental units at any given time.

And depending on the state, gross negligence damages can include punitive damages for up to four times actual damages. 

Turnover times?

It was costing me a lot more money and time than if I would be managing myself.

OrDid you start your real estate journey not as an investor but as a full-time employee in a real estate related field - lending, contracting, working for a developer, etc?

As a first time investor, I'm thinking to replicate those existing houses (with little bit of my touch) but wanted to ask what would be the pros and cons in terms of competing with existing STR's in the community?

I get that what you have looked into may take a little longer to install but you do it once with a long time in between replacing (hopefully), in my opinion, that's worth it.