@Scott EwellLeveraged vs debt-free is a personal decision to some extent.Leverage will give you a higher ceiling on your investment, whereas debt free provides the lower floor.While I can't say which is best for you in particular; I can say that, in my experience, every majorly successful investor I've come across uses debt in their strategy to some degree.

On the STR offers, my offers have been in my view too high (meaning no cash flow after my allocation for expenses).  

So I was able to get a hold of the Utility and they took on the bulk of the expense so it was about $8k for my part!

As a company we help investors with: - Sourcing properties in areas that should appreciate, have lower vacancies, and higher room rates based on our data from current properties.- Starting properties from the ground up with our expertise in what is needed for a rental to last and run smoothly, from simple furnishing to complete remodels/renovations.- Running properties as the businesses they are meant to be.

What is your tax burden with the cost segregation study(Assuming you can take the extra depreciation expense)?

Lower cost of entry, landlord friendly, low property taxes, no state income tax and only a few hours from NorCal.

No click-lock flooring in this house without the extra expense of floor leveling.

Had I listened to their advice, I'd be in a much lower tax bracket and have a much lower net worth. 

Had I not been selling, this would all be out of pocket expense due to no saved up cash flow.

For context, we had a plumber come recently and this expense did result in a receipt uploaded to the portal.