At the end of the day, losing $10k is really not a lot in the grand scheme of real estate investing, and given the seeming high volatility of this market ($275k to $220k, presumably in a matter of months), and the generally high monthly cost of HML, I would get out quickly and think of the loss as the cost of education.At least in my area (Cincinnati, OH) I don't see the market dramatically improving even as we get into the spring buying season, and, honestly, I only see mortgage rates continuing to climb for the foreseeable future, taking more and more buyers out of the market.

There has always been many questions as to if one needs to be licensed to engage in COMMERCIAL mortgage brokering/origination or RESIDENTIAL INVESTMENT property mortgages.  

You are'nt saving money (or time or avoiding stress) by self managing. 

When I did my research for buying my properties in Costa Rica, I had one of the big STR management companies like Evolve analyze my potential profits and I used that info to raise money through bringing on partners to buy the properties. 

In the latter I would much rather have my money and be in control. 

You can most certainly make more money with higher occupancy in your short-term rental.2.

The top trainers make huge money.  

The two are almost entirely different markets in terms of price points, returns, tenant quality, and overall investing strategy.

Quote from @Marc Zak: In the market where I live (San Diego), appreciation has been strong and many predict it will continue to appreciate in the long term.However, with current interest rates (6% at best) and property tax (2%), the annual cost burden is 8%.Am I correct in saying that appreciation has to be above 8% annually (plus whatever my maintenance and vacancy costs are) for me to make any money in this scenario if the property is cash flow neutral?

It's a terrible investment.