Kitchen Cabinets with fist sized holes, an overflowing AC drain that went unreported for lord knows how long, causing standing water & mold growth along the entire back half of the house (hence the water issue), and we found a nice pit bull puppy (no pet policy) that conveniently ate carpet + pad, chewed window casings and doors in EVERY room.

For the latter I may not know the title of the person...financial advisors have wrinkled their brows while tilting their heads. 

I think to be successful as a STR one has to stand out from the cookie cutter crowd.

I'm currently consuming all things REI - books, blogs, podcasts, etc. in hopes of gaining the knowledge to make an exciting and financially independent future for myself and my wife.

@Patrick PhilipThe beauty of much of this business for the investor is that while an investor sees a piece of land with a structure on it in terms of fungible value, a retail buyer sees a home and hearth, a place to raise their children, somewhere to grow old together with their loving spouse, a symbol of their financial competency, a mark of belonging to one class rather than another.

I've also really enjoyed a blog/podcast on personal finance and broader financial independence at  https://www.choosefi.com/https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/1...https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/04/1...

Trust the numbers and don't force them.In similar situations I let it go, tell the seller my last offer stands then let it sit for another month or six weeks before sending them a revised offer and re-engaging with them.Good luck, trust the numbers, they won't lead you astray but your emotions will.

I can't imagine a more frustrating and dangerous scenario than to try to invest in an unfamiliar area that meets your financial proformas but where you don't know anybody, have access to on and off market opportunities, have relationships with trades people and property managers. 

For the crime of trespass to exist, a person with standing must claim an interest in the property.

So things that are red flag for me may be fine for someone more aggressive.1) Portfolio matching: (takes 30 seconds per deal)a) Have an educated opinion on where you think we are in the real estate cycles (financial and physical market cycles)b) Then only then pick the strategies, capital stack, and specialized asset subclasses that make sense for that opinion.