For me it's all about having a great cleaning person/crew.Homeaway and Airbnb make it easy to keep an up to date calendar, accept payments, refund security deposits.Then nice to have are automated locks (I still use a lockbox), security cameras, wifi thermostats.You need great pictures and descriptions, you need to be responsive to inquiries and issues.You need a great location so that you have demand at your property.I think this is the Cliff Notes version.Take up Lucas Carl on the phone call.

I originally grew up in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area, but for the past two years, I have been working as a software developer in lower Manhattan.I have basically zero background in real estate, but I hope to learn a lot from this community -- enough for my wife and me to invest in one or more rental properties within the next two-to-three years that will give us a nicer return beyond our retirement mutual funds. 

Think of all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.

What’s the best way to maximize your return and keep your money secure?

My daily job in the Air Force is Cyber Security, which is fun and will be very lucrative in the civilian side, but I'm more of a hands-on active person (I did Interior Trim before I joined the military and loved it). 

You need to secure right of way from a neighbor first (recorded easement) otherwise the property is pretty much useless which is probably why the current owner is trying to sell it.

Its possible that, if the store tenant gets a loan secured by their business property, a lender may require the flood insurance. 

Thanks - we have not secured financing yet....right now we're trying to figure out if we should secure on our own (wife and I) or secure through the LLC.Our worry is closing on this home and then losing the ability to purchase a home where we move (or the interest rate becoming jacked up due to that potentially being a "2nd home" in the lenders eyes.)

If the loan is a lower LTV and more standard terms then lenders can get more lax in requirements as their is security in other ways such as high DSCR, low leverage where loan is much less than current value of the property etc.

I'm in a different part of the country installing security systems.