If you're looking for strictly MLS deals then having your license is a no brainier It's actually quite cheap and easy to get it and cost to maintain it is minimal. 

This is also where renters insurance comes into play to protect the tenants belongings so the money doesn't fall on the landlord (requiring renters insurance is key here) - here is a great Forbes article that talks about natural disasters and how to prepare and minimize costs along the way.

I’m still working on my Welcome Manual.PLEASE give me a thumbs’ up for ACTION and add a tip that will minimize my first-timer’s jitters.

- see if you can’t get that $428K privately to pay off as a ‘mortgage’ w/ minimal interest rate (1% George & Mom?)     

Having multiple properties minimizes downside risk of vacancy, natural disasters, and you don't have all your equity sitting in one place, which is a target for lawsuits.  

In order to minimize my tax liability, I was thinking I could 1031X the profit into another property. 

Right now, we have minimal expenses but will later on buy a domain, pay for Gmail Business ($6/mo), and pay a RE lawyer to draft an operating agreement, among other costs down the road. 

This allows the vacationer to quickly change the sheets, & not be interrupted. 

My hands-on experience with RE is minimal - I purchased a foreclosure in 2009 and renovated it with my father.

The issue is that this can become very burdensome if you don't use the right assets, but when done correctly it only adds minimal expenses and can actually help organize your portfolio.The other thing that investors who are scaling up or working with large investments is to separate their operations from their assets.