The challenge for me is that I live in San Diego CA and the market is expensive and I compete with owner-occupiers who will pay top dollar.

In most cases, the owner/possible seller would want an option fee paid up front to entice them to entering into the option to purchase agreement, so assuming that is the case, would enter into the agreement with a pretty firm plan to purchase and not lose that option fee. 

It just happened that im in the process of purchasing 2 properties this month. 1 is a rehab, that I plan on keeping for my self for a bit then selling.. the other is an invest property non owner occupied thats a 3 familyThe rehab I need to purchase out cash 105k and another 15k-20k to repairThe rental property I need to put 25% down and closing is around 70kSo I need 175k to purchase and another 30k to repair both properties I have 90k in liquid in a savings account,  230k in a 401k made up of the funds and stock and about 330k in my companies stock account..My plan was and not sure if this is the smartest way .. hence why I'm asking here!

Having nurse friendly amenities is important : blackout curtains, allows pets (many bring pets), good mattresses

The most likely culprits are death of property owner before tax sale, or sale of property to someone else but failure to assess in the new owner's name.  

Some cities require the STR permit number in the title or very top of the OTA listing so city permit  technicians can scan and keep track otherwise the owner will be contacted and fined for forgetting or shut down if operating illegally.Some cities have a 24/7 STR hotline dedicated to receiving any complaints (from neighbors, HOA) for a code compliance officer to act onSome cities issue expensive fines for those operating without the STR permit

The far majority of the investors that we work with name one of the owners.4.

STRs require a lot more cash up front so you just want to make sure you have a good idea of what you're getting into first :) I own STRs and love it but I also wish I had learned a little more about the analysis and management prior to going live - I did some of that on the back end and could have been successful faster.Another idea is to talk with some owners 1:1 to see what advice they would have for someone starting out.

As a Property Manager I will tell you that the worst properties I take over are military house hacks when the owner leaves before the roommates. 

I also would charge less if that's all that's going on, but there may be other factors at play which is causing the fee to increase as well, I'm also a single member firm owner in LCOL midwest, so that plays into things as well.