Part of the reason being to mitigate personal risk.

This can be management intensive but a way to mitigate this issue is to seek senior tenants with fixed incomes.I'd also recommend spreading your territory to other smaller communities - and not just Bell County.

Building a strong team around you will help mitigate much of your risk.

I would normally avoid these situations because you don't know what you're walking into - unless you can ensure that you draft up the partnership agreement with your own attorney to mitigate any risks down the line. 

That said, if she really insists on not moving in then market it immediately to start mitigating your down time while also informing her in writing of her responsibility.

The deposit keeps tenants mindful of minimizing damages and the monthly fee covers wear and odor mitigation.

It's a losing proposition long term unless there are other mitigating factors like the ability to raise rents substantially, etc.  

You should have individual LLCs per property to mitigate risk.

Obviously the correct answer is as much as possible, but not everyone can just put a year's worth of savings aside.Reserves are generally for capex, and in my experience, the only true capex emergency is a sewer line failure, and you can mitigate that risk with a scope.

Because of this, in choosing a property to house hack, I’ve been looking at places like corner lots, semi secluded lots, and condos/townhomes with backyard entry (as opposed to having guests come in through the front door) bc I figure these sort of set ups will mitigate neighbors having to SEE STR guests as much.