This will help you get a feel for how saturated the STR market is, as well as what opportunities you might have for setting yourself apart in your market. 

Any help and advice would be much appreciated!

Our idea is to continue living in our unit and have our next-door neighbor (attached unit) pay us rent, which would help cover our new mortgage.

Lenders are most picky about restaurants because they are really easy to kill.The lender doesn't require the restaurant to be owner-operated, but they'll need proof that your management staff has a robust resume in the field as well.I'm not sure what you mean by an "arm's length" transaction.I hope that helps.

It will always yield higher than a bank and is for the most part helpful to many investors allowing the leverage they need to succeed.

It’s important to decide if you’re aiming for cash flow, appreciation, or both—this will help shape your investment choices.

Found this one on MLS, it had sat for a bit which helped with negotiating for a great price.

They should be able to help with "cover numbers" for budgeting purposes based on typical products used or ask them if they work with other investors - learn what the market is doing.

No problem, glad I could help!

I found a $60k property requiring $80k rehab to get to $250k ARV My problem is that I cannot find financing for this project because it's in a rural area, Does anyone have any lenders who can help me out?