I don’t personally invest in STR’s, but previously served as legal counsel for a company that owned a hotel portfolio valued over $1B, and understand the space and policy considerations that are creating barriers across the country.

The other issue is that as a new build you are already at the full value of the home meaning there is no room for forced appreciation.

THATS how you add the value, by repairing the defects, kicking out squatters, painting over spraypaint etc.

Joe, you seem to be saying that real estate equity has no value which means that ownership of real estate has no value.

The other component is no matter what happens to the property, you always have at least land value.

There’s numbers on a piece of paper that put seller financing in a great light.And then there’s the reality of seller financing being a bet on the buyer managing and maintaining a property well for years or decades while you still have skin in the game.And a bet that the value doesn’t decline by more than the balance of the debt.And a bet that the higher “price” received because of seller financing doesn’t come with opportunity cost in the form of being able to spend or invest the liquidity day 1.And the fact that buyers with seller financing always want better terms than a bank would give them, which is real economics that sellers are far less equipped than banks to estimate risk/reward on.Seller financing is relatively rare.

I have over 40% equity based on loan amount of $200K and general market value of the property at $400K (unsure what assessed value would be).I'm thinking I'm a candidate for PMI removal.

Assuming the property value has remained stable or appreciated, when you refinance, the lender will assess the current loan-to-value ratio (LTV) based on a new appraisal.

Since this deal is being bought for a low cost, many hard money lenders will pass on it unless it is an extensive rehab with a significant value add. 

Cost segregation reduces the taxable value of your estate which has a direct impact on estate planning.