Houses need to be maintained, fixed up, rehabbed (like his does)  and that it takes time & money to keep a property from becoming potting soil. ;-) The "useful life" theory.  

Removing dirt can cause a foundation to shift and affect houses around you so either way, you'll probably need a soils and hydrology test. 

Where you live has no bearing on owning rental real estate.

A perfect scenario, where neither the government nor the too big to fail institutions bear any risk.

A mommy bear can do a lot to protect her cubs. 

Bear with me i am very much a beginner and i am open too any information you might have that could potentially help me, i would greatly appreciate that.

It has no bearing on how much you overbuild.

Also, soft soil areas tend to shift as opposed to resting on bedrock which is more stable.

If I had to pick which one was most accurate, AirBNB's seem to be the closest.AirDNA in my experience has always been overly optimistic and that $461 rate kinda bears that out.Awning is newer and I have been told pulls the same data AirDNA does, so how is it so much lower?

I would do it as a matter of principle, but bear in mind you are very unlikely to ever get any money back... in fact, you are more likely to spend more money than you will ever collect.