I usually will say who referred me to them and say that they are a friend, neighbor, family, etc and will then ask what their lead times usually are for work to be completed, how they communicate, are they comfortable working with me being out of state, how do they collect payment (terms and preferred method) and do they offer a business rate?

Hi John,Converting your existing home in Castle Hills into a long-term rental while managing it remotely from Austin is a feasible endeavor, but it does come with its own set of challenges and considerations.

We will be doing a short term rental on the top unit (3bed/2bath) while living in the bottom unit (3bed/1bath).

AFRs change monthly and can be found here:https://apps.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/federalRates.htmlYou need Table 1 from the monthly Revenue Ruling.Currently, the rates are around 1% or below, depending on the term and size of the loan.

Are they abiding by the lease terms, maintaining the rental, paying rent on time, etc?

Could a short-term private loan with the LLC be a better route to look?

Once you have stabilized the property and satisfied long-term loan seasoning requirements of the bank, you'll refi to the less expensive long term lender. 

Does anyone have a long term relationship with them who'd care to comment?

As long as the note payments are being made we are receiving a return of 17% + on the $450k we could have cashed out on - a much greater return than we could have reinvested at.

Bottom line is you can rent out on a short term basis and you don't get into a legally binding agreement during the first year where you lose the ability to occupy the property when you so choose.2.