I also am wanting to get my feet wet in some Short term vacation rentals as well and see how that works out.

Hi everyoneLooking for suggestions here to avoid future issues around utilities once a tenant vacates. 

That Island is about to turn and will soon be filled with nice updated vacation homes.

I am seeking to purchase my 1st short-term vacation rental on the beach and I would truly appreciate any guidance/opinions the BiggerPockets community would be willing to share.I am interested in starting somewhat small, financially; I know "small" is relative to the location. 

A big thing to keep in mind is vacation property management fees can be very high in these areas and for condos you sometimes have to use thier management company.

She likes the vacation rental idea because of the potential cash flow increase we could have.

The houses being vacated in the donating metros will likely be ideal for rentals (or flips) as they're likely smaller older homes in need of some value add. 

What if the tenants decide not to vacate, the rents are much lower than the market rate- what is our recourse?

Id like to begin my life long dream of buying and flipping and buying vacation rentals units.

Canadian have been investing in U.S. real estate and vacation properties for decades.