So, while in some ways its great in others its less than ideal.

I’ve noticed that STRs with those kinds of unique offerings tend to stand out and get booked faster.Looking forward to seeing what direction you decide to take!

There's only a handful of these in the Bonita market that meet the ideal criteria for your strategy, but they're much more prevalent in Fort Myers.

Diversifying geographically can also reduce risk and increase long-term returns.For example, there are several markets across the U.S. that are ideal for new investors because they offer affordable entry points, reliable cash flow, and strong economic fundamentals.

It's written into the lease that tenants must deposit their rents into that particular account (either by online bank transfer or by walking in a check/cash); I do not collect rents directly, nor would I if anyone asked.

We like the short-term rental idea because we could stay at the property ourselves when we want - summer break, spring/winter breaks, etc.Our budget will be right around $1M or less ideally, and we would like a short distance to the ocean.How likely is it that we could find a property as described above and have it cover or come close to covering the mortgage? 

I focus on finding deals that meet specific criteria, and I always keep my underwriting conservative to make sure the numbers work even on a worst case scenario.Right now, my big goal is to land my first property, ideally 20+ units in Florida, and build a strong portfolio from there.

Ideally was thinking a duplex, triplex, or quadplex to get started and use an FHA loan but I also have a private lender that can possibly help with up to $200k worth of a down payment.

For our second STR, we are currently researching Sherman, potentially / ideally, a less expensive duplex that we could rennovate and self manage from Dallas with workers coming to the area in mind. 

If staying in the deal isn’t ideal for you, an equity buyout by your partner or another investor could be the simplest path.