One of the hardest things to do when you are a new investor is to find an investor-friendly real estate agent who will give you the time of day.

I am on the same boat, and tried to use my business purpose loan origination experience and they still need signatures from a broker verifying the hours and time periods. 

If you're a salesperson your ICA, Independent Contractor Agreement with your broker will detail whether you have to charge yourself or not.Also keep in mind, regardless of payment to yourself, the legal requirements remain the same.

@Aaron Malki, if you're selling a property you want to do a 1031 on then you'll list it exactly as aggressively and in all the same places as a regular property. 

In my experience a lot of STR people all reiterate the same information so I am excited to have some personalized recommendations 

In your case:Adjusted Basis = $300,000 - $36,364.36 = $263,635.64So, your profit for tax purposes would be:Profit = $400,000 - $263,635.64 = $136,364.36This is the profit you'd pay capital gains tax on when you sell the property.Regarding whether you're "adding to the profit" side of the equation or "deducting from the basis" side, it might seem like two sides of the same coin, but the way you account for depreciation and basis affects how you report it to the IRS.

A day before the move-in date, they are backing out.

Currently, I have one LTR and aim to scale my portfolio while maintaining my day job.  

Fuel for the day: A little English Breakfast aged tea, full fat cream, and, my favorite, raw unadulterated organic honey.

How convenient, all of the entities that are supposedly involved in this with the exception of the named trustee (US Bank Trust) are owned by the same company--Lone Star Funds.