Using all caps for emphasis is acceptable, particularly when I was pointing you to menu items that are specifically written in all caps. 

It’s hard enough to comp STRs bc less-than-optimized pricing can suppress total revenue significantly even if the property & mgmt are otherwise comparable to what you feel you can deliver. 

Regina,  Click on the menu hamburger, in the pull down box click on Learn, then click on Podcast.

If we wanted to optimize our lives for a low cost of living/tax burden the most opportunity for building our real estate portfolio in a beginner-friendly market, where should we be looking?  

You should be optimizing after-tax income net of perceived risk; NOT minimizing taxes. 

I will mention in a later post on what your landing page and thank you page should have, for now just do some researching on google.Optimize, optimize, optimize...

Special Assessments generally spook buyers so removing this potential objection is always a higher priority than trying to optimize for purchase price / payment.

I just want to optimize their role in my business while staying cost efficient. 

I would focus on buying a handful of high quality B properties (for the optimal combination of cash flow and capital preservation/ possible appreciation) with low turnover and low maintenance costs rather than many lower-tier properties that will likely bring more issues, especially if you have to deal with Section 8 housing authority bureaucracy. 

If it drops it to a number below the ROI you could get elsewhere... why not sell it and take the profit + reinvest in optimal returns?