First off, pardon me if I misunderstand things given the limited amount of information I have, but there are 2 things right off the bat just from your description that could be contributing to your issue: 1) a 2nd floor unit - I had a similar setup for a duplex I owned in St.

Not only that most of ours we saved within 1 to 3 days of the sale so it was hair on fire getting the reinstatement back to the trustee.. total risk on our part.. give the seller some money we always did.. and then record the deed  WE did our own deeds in house.. buy without title insurance etc etc.  

@Andreas Mathews admirable, but make sure you do some research so you understand what a PM can make.Starting your own PMC business will require 75-150 doors to make a decent living, depending on gross rents and your fee structre.Working for a SFR PMC as a PM, will require a RE license and you usually get paid a percentage of the gross rents the portfolio of owners/properties you manage generates.

I've since closed down to focus on other businesses and run my own STR's. 

Did you buy this property on your own or did you partner with another investor?

The biggest drawback I see is that you are not in control, unlike owning your rental property.

Hello everyone, I am analyzing the Indio, CA market as a short term rental investment and we'd love to speak to someone who is self managing their own vacation rental.  

Many PMs ask for this in their agreements to reduce their own liability exposure.

A couple of follow up questions. 1) After the 1031 exchange, and then after the follow on 721 contribution, I own an interest in a partnership held by the UPREIT.

I have been listening to BiggerPockets for a couple of months now and have been doing my own research over the past several months as well.