Also, long term, I expect Sac will enact tougher restrictions on STR, given the intense housing crunch we're experience, so I personally don't expect that to a be a good long term strategy.

how much experience do you have?  

What are other options do we have if we don't have piror experience? 

However, we will likely need a property manager to assist with some facets of running this rental (since we would not live locally) and would primarily market it through platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO to start, (eventually setting up a direct booking process).Here's our question for those who have experience in STR's or who might be involved in a similar scenario: How challenging is it to meet the material participation hours needed to achieve active status?

Starting with an owner-occupied duplex is a smart way to build equity and gain experience.

I'm interested in the VB/VA and OK City markets (lots of family in OK now), but then again, I don't have much experience analyzing markets. 

So far, it’s going really well, and I’m glad we made the shift.For me, the decision wasn’t about issues with self-managing but more about freeing up time and mental space to focus on the next steps in our investing journey.Curious to hear others’ experiences as well!

I’d love to connect and share my experiences, let me know. 

Would it be a good idea to get a real estate license and work in real estate or are there other options to get in Missouri to get real estate experience without a license? 

Experiences will vary significantly based upon location.