The TYPE of property will certainly have an impact on what type of loan options you have.  

Ive been trying to start saving young and trying to get ahead and really start making an impact on me becoming financially independent one day.

I care about neighborhood character, a sense of community, and affordable housing, and I think STRs have the potential to negatively impact all of those things.

Decreasing income by $500/month has much lower impact on debt to income ratios than adding a monthly expense of $500.  

@Ed MoranI’ve been evaluating the impact of the ‘active RE’ status and have some thoughts.

Not to mention the liability . . . if something hazardous were to happen to these individuals/or the structure as a result of these occupants, your insurance coverage and possibly your lively hood could be impacted. 

In a sense, you could say that you're investing in the area and it's infrastructure and growth potential because that directly impacts the long term viability of your property. 

Check out Impact Theory and get control of your mind.None of us are naturally risk-adverse or perfection or control-oriented. 

I don't want my decisions to impact their way of life.

Just not sure how going from one fed job to another impacts TSP.