Do any STR beach rental property owners have any insights?

Owning personally gives you more options as an owner/operator.  

MLS, Zillow, Cold Calling/lead generating, Realtors, Mail Marketing, SEO/Online marketing...If you are going direct-to-owner (aka sourcing your own deals), you'll have the most and best options. 

Also, don't forget a good STR company wants to succeed as much as the owner.

If you look at an owner operator of apartment buildings you will get an idea of the amount of work that needs to go along with investing.

It takes us 18 to 36 months to get approvals So land owners here know that they will have to waite to get the big dollars..

You just can't have two owner-occupant loans at once. 

Start by reaching out directly to owners who might sell but haven't officially listed their homes.

Purchase price: $120,000 Cash invested: $12,800 This property was purchased from an owner who was tired of being a landlord.

The new draft zoning ordinance of Gaithersburg, which, for full disclosure, my mom has worked for the planning department my entire life, is out with an interesting wrinkle: they will not only allow ADUs but also have no owner-occupant requirement.