Think New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, etc.The problem with that though is a) You may not be able to afford anything there, or b) If you can afford a downpayment you'll be eating negative cash flow.In short, the highest appreciating markets may cost you too much per month to participate in because they have large negative cash flow.So you need to find a market that balances the two.

Goal is long term rental. 

In terms of the realtor's preferred lender, that's up to your discretion. 

Get out in your spare time and inspect the available listings--product knowledge is one of the major keys to unlocking success. 3.

i have thought about this with a small short term rental area.

@Jacob Henry WirthFrom Huntington beach as well..New to investing have 2 long term rentals here..Interested in scaling and meet-ups..

As far as tapping into the equity without doing a refinance, we offer some great HELOC products which are especially good for funding short term deals like ground up constructions or fix and flips.  

Hard surfaces like LVP, tile, hardwood are easier to maintain long term and tend to last longer. 2.

Expect a .5 to 1% success rate in finding deals generally, and especially on the MLS.

I'm about to purchase a property for a short term rental and trying to figure out whether to hold the property in a newly formed LLC, trust or in my personal name.