To me, AirBnB sounds like another stressful job, but I guess a lot of folks really like it.

You're facing a battle I doubt you will win, and the amount of headaches and stress-- yikes!   

There is a very high likelihood that you will burn out, and not be able to enjoy your mountain home and it will put a lot of stress on your family and even hurt your career. 

The biggest metric to focus on is ARV....I can't stress how much (especially in this evolving market) you should focus on being accurate/conservative here.

Your experience is Exhibit A.How can you say, "they're good people" while simultaneously telling us they're living off the government teat at the age of 25, destroying your investment, and causing you so much stress?

That's why I stress the importance of building a relationship first.

Let the PM's take the stress of dealing with the tenants.

As a beginner investor, you want to get the basic right and not have to deal with too much stress from larger properties. 

They have backing, which can reduce noise and stress on your joints, but they also require a pretty flat subfloor.I can tell you that the cheap stuff doesn't install well and doesn't last, so I don't recommend going that route.The wear layer is the "pattern" printed on top that gives the flooring it's unique look.

The most likely scenario is that you'll spend more money and create more stress for yourself.