Hawaii is one of the two markets I operate in (and Anchorage, AK).

A friend of mine, Sarah, and her husband bought a second home near her family in Phoenix, lived there for a few months each year, and rented it out as an MTR the rest of the time.

I have seen several offers from operators around the country who are offering interest rates of sub 6% for a 30-year fixed mortgage with a 20% down payment required, NO POINTS.

@Dmitriy Fomichenko not sure if you were aware, but depending on your income and circumstances, you can convert that money into a Roth IRA, tax free.A friend of mine lives in Washington state (no state income tax) and his taxable income is about $50k a year.

Then the tenant will rant a bunch of nonsense, have no evidence to back up his stories, and the judge will find in your favor based on the evidence provided by you.For future tenants, I highly recommend you read a book like mine or "Every Landlord's Legal Guide" by NOLO.

Mine are still four to five sentence paragraphs or two. 

Quote from @Chris Mason: They have simulators for heavy equipment operators: bulldozer, backhoe, etc.

Also, in general, I wouldn't solely rely on a single source, rather: 1) collect feedback from various sources, 2) decide which components are the most critical for you personally, 3) weigh in on the pros and cons, 4) speak with all of the operators to add to the list of pros and cons, 5) and only then make an informed decision. 

•Are the tax benefits of renting worth it in a situation like mine?

For the experienced cohosts in the group, I’d love to get your thoughts on payment processing options for cohosting companies (LLCs) that position themselves as property management companies but operate without a broker’s license.As an investor and soon-to-be STR entrepreneur, my business will initially focus on managing a small portfolio of vacation rentals with plans to scale.