If flights are $500, hotel $200, a couple meals out, rental car/uber, on top of all the other costs of owning rentals, that significantly burdens profit.  

Any pleasure we'd get from big ticket status items would definately be outweighed by the loss of freedom that comes with the associated debt.

Certainly there are relationships between investors and REO agents...in any industry where big ticket transactions happen, there are going to be relationships among the brokers and the investors/principals.That said, I started in this industry two and a half years ago.

Typically you should allocate 10% of the gross income for repairs and 5 - 10% for capital repairs (such as carpet, roof, HVAC - any big ticket items).

Please sell me your unused ticket.
Thanks!
Alisa
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Another option would be the Phoenix area so I could drive or jump on a short 1 hr flight for the weekend.

They provided me with dwelling coverage, and then asked if I wanted to also cover any bigger ticket items that I had in the property (clothes washer and dryer in my case). 

Your concerns are valid, but easily mitigated with some reserves set aside, or even a home warranty to cover big ticket items (all buy-and-hold investors should have reserves set aside for their properties).

The only speeding  ticket I ever received was on I-10 coming into San Antonio, even though other people were passing me at higher speeds before I was pulled over.3.

I am buying my airline tickets today.