We suddenly had 2 homes and began exploring what our options were and that is when we discovered the intriguing world of REI and tapped into Bigger Pockets and Better Life Tribe, etc. to begin our education.In the time since his death and the probate process we have been paying his mortgage off and selling items from the home which we have been maintaining.

I would buy and hold turnkey rentals, it's better to ease into RE investing and turnkey rentals are going to take some of the riskier variables out of the equation.

Multifamily generally doesn't have the same retail pressure, so right now, the deals are better, though you still need to spend a lot of time finding the right one.

For example, the master bedroom better have a great mattress bc that's where the person who books the stay will be sleeping.

Which option is going to better fit your goals?

Not to say anything bad about the following STR companies, but I would go with a smaller one in which they can definitely take care of your home better and won't be overlooked. 

Some things that make a rental appealing 1 - pet policy (pets or no pets allowed)2 - number of full bathrooms 3 - number of floors (single level vs multi)4 - backyard or lack thereof5 - school ratings (higher the better)6 - crime ratings (lower the better)7 - location to highways8 - amenities (parks, pools, trails, lakes, etc)9 - location to place of employment.10 - age of the property 11 - appliances Just to name a few.

Perhaps we (BP, the community) need a better firewall between the visible personalities - podcast hosts, webinar leaders, etc - and those with something to sell.

Thought we could both benefit, they get a slightly lower rate than market with 15% down, and we would get better returns as lien holders.  

With time, your credit position will improve significantly, and with capital in reserve you will be in a much better position to weather any “hiccups” that occur in the future.