I know of people going with Credit Unions getting significantly lower rates than the rest of the market, but then I know of plenty of lenders claiming that you can’t get that at all.

Short term rentals can work in urban areas too...people travel for many reasons. 

these people are not real.. why bother ?

There are so many beautiful areas of CA that people still want to live. 

Anyone I know who invested in Spain in the last ten years took a bath and I know a lot of people who did.

Always look at reviews, and make sure they are legit reviews made by real people.

About a month ago we started contacting property management companies to help us get the rental part moving, but this is where we've hit a road bump.

How do you expect people to want to pay for the service if they are being banned almost instantly? 

If a lot of people around you are cold calling, you will likely be calling the same people.

Key is make sure you have a good surveyor and title company. s far as being ready all about the market in that most people who purchase either one of these products are not interested in any maintenance and would rather pay monthly dues.