my property manager asks 10% of total rehab cost, her team will look through the project end to end, without much of my involvement. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has seen record enrollment in recent years: it set its highest attendance in history, with over 57,000 students enrolled and in 2024 just had highest freshman attendance in history and keeps growing, Carle Hospital, Craft Factory (Warren Buffett approves), etc for diversity of economic drivers.

@Heather Luu  the first thing that comes to mind is if that check was from the insurance company or insurance company funds, it might be time to get them involved.

It took a while, and there were some fees involved, but it was totally manageable compared to what I would’ve paid with an attorney.

For a single family home the size and scope you're describing, I wouldn't involve an architect unless you're looking for end-to-end project management.   

Nonpassive income: Real Estate Professionals, STRs and K1s from businesses where you have hands-on involvement aka material participation.Each group has its own rules, and generally they cannot offset one another.

You materially participate in an activity if you're involved in the operation of the activity on a regular, continuous, and substantial basis.

Low cap rates because you dont have to do anything, just collect the 4% or 5% like a CD at the bank.10% Properties are going to be more involved.

Quote from @Yixiong Pan: It's possible, but it's also possible that the tenant will destroy your house and you'll never know.Managing investment property involves more than collecting rent.

A smarter approach would involve thorough market research, realistic projections on occupancy rates, and understanding that not every location is still a goldmine for STRs.