Essentially giving me use and control of the property for less than 1k a month for the first year. 

There are people who buy tax credits from other people.I would be shocked if he was paying  much in taxes given all the business he has.Remember the name of the game is legally own nothing and control everything. 

Too many variables that can’t be—or are hard to—control.

I personally like to control the deal from the beginning and deal with an escrow/title company that I do lots of business with. 

I work as a freelance carpenter, mainly for events and some TV shows, so I can control my availability more than someone with a 9 to 5.

It's important to maintain control of the situation.

If you can't keep control of your personal finances, you are highly unlikely to succeed in real estate investing.

Finally, they could have purchased trip insurance.Simply put, we do not give refunds for things beyond our control. 

This allows me more control and options to move money around and have some cushion.  

I turned off instant booking during covid.I like the extra control and I don't plan on turning it back on unless bookings start to drop and they haven't.