It's not easy, but all successful agents operate like a business with daily tasks to attract leads and follow through on those leads.

Your best bet is to get on the phone, get multiple opinions, multiple quotes, and make decisions on the type of build before pulling the trigger.

Section 8 can be very profitable if done the right way, at scale, by an experienced operator, but I think it's one of the hardest strategies to start doing because of tenancies and government involvement.Most new people just think it's an easy government check and there is nothing that could be further from the truth.

Any good commercial broker is going to trim the expenses down by 10-20% from what they will be for me when I operate the deal. 

Remember that disclosure laws vary greatly by state, with roughly 50% of states operating under Caveat Emptor...which means no disclosure at all.

Your best bet is to keep liquid cash and avoid PMI.

. ==== Projected Income ====**Off Season**-$4,000/Month Rent Period: September - May (7 Months) Projected Income: $28,000**Summer 1**-$8,000/Week Rent Period: June (4 Weeks)Projected Income: $32,000**Summer 2**-$8,500/WeekRent Period: July-September (12 Weeks) Projected Income: $102,000**Optional** (Basement Apartment)-$2,000/Month -Rent Period: Year Round Projected Income: $24,000TOTAL PROJECTED INCOME: $186,000 ==== Operating Cost ====-Mortgage: $84,000 ($7,000/Month) -Utilities: $36,200Gas $6,000 ($500/Month) Electricity $6,000 ($500/Month) Internet $2,400 ($200/Month) Garbage $5,000 (Estimate) Pool $4,000 ($250/Week)Landscaping: $4,000 -Mowing: $2,400 ($150/Week)  -Clean Ups: $1,600 (Spring & Fall)-Weekly Turnovers: $8,800 ($550/Week)==== Legal Cost ====Summer Rental Fee: $20,100 (15% of $134K)Sandwich Rental Tax: $6,855 (15% of $45,700) NET PROFFIT: $38,845.00

I’m hoping to find more success in Phoenix, but as you stated, the old fashioned way may be my best bet.

We travel for work (healthcare) and chronically live out of MTRs, so it will be our first time operating a shorter term, but won’t be an entirely foreign situation to us.

I feel like it's a space where great operators can really clean up, since the bar is set really low, in my experience at least.