Also if I do end up hiring another agent, what should I be looking for in a good agent.

When you look at the percentage of "clean" energy produced by each state, Kentucky is ranked 37 out of 50.

. - along with inconsistent incomeTo be honest this person should not be investing in real estate and focus their time and energy on getting a stable w2 or income and get their credit cleaned up first

You can go heavier in one category but that's up to you on which on you'd rather invest more in

I'd suggest asking your lender to mock up what it would cost to get your rate to 5% and then do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if that's the best use of your funds. 

I would be focusing on cleaning up bookkeeping, communication portal with client, vendor list management, payment processing, etc. 

I was a RE broker doing acquasitions for a large syndicator in the 80s in San Francisco / Sacramento market.. and thats what brought down their billion dollar buziness taking reserve money from good projects to prop up losers..

What if you get into the market and absolutely end up hating running a short-term rental?

Hi Nathan, Thanks for reply, But I am from Canada and my city doesn't show up there.

I do have a contractor that has an amazing team that can do everything from the ground up to plumbing and HVAC.