I've been researching how to get decent comps from various online sources (realtor.com, zillow.com, trulia.com, etc) when looking at potential rental properties. 

One source of cities to avoid is Neighborhood Scout's 100 most dangerous cities.

I’m not a wholesaler, but I do source most of my own deals.

They are also very intensive with sourcing and overseeing projects.  

You cannot get a loan for the down payment as all funds for down and closing are traced and sourced for the preceding 3 months. 

@Jonathan Greene Thanks for the food for thought!

One common takeaway from every informational source is that networking is absolutely vital to succeed in this line of work. 

I've read conflicting information about what triggers you to have to pay self-employment tax on your short-term rentals.There seems to be a consensus that the following does:Airport TransportationProviding cooked mealsOffering ToursCleaning during the guests' stayDecorating the property for a party as a serviceI'm not sure if these would cause me to have to pay self-employment taxes, as I've seen these items on a couple of lists but not most:Providing a coffee stationProviding a welcome basket with food itemsProviding bikes and kayaks for the guests to useDoes anyone know where the line is of what you can and cannot do and provide?

In my case it's my real estate agency, but it could be your day job, flips, wholesaling, or another business you start.While it's doable, I think it's really hard to quit everything and jump into long term investing full time right from the start.By building my active income first, I now have a way to pay my bills outside of my investing portfolio and it allows me to source financing easier, open LOCs, etc.Also, I've worked really hard to get my debt to income down on things other than real estate (i.e. credit cards, car loans, etc).

He has a visa restriction and can't show second source of income beside his day job.