The only time I saw black residue on walls was from a flip I purchased with a not venting correctly oil furnace.

. - i'll give another vote for Essentialism. 

If it weren't for BP, I'm not sure I could have become a co-sponsor on deals so quickly, raised capital for syndications, started my own side-hustle and podcast for military veterans, or gain the confidence and knowledge to become Director of Acquisitions for a Commercial Developer/Private Equity firm - essentially changing careers at age 48 after 25 years of NEVER working in real estate!!

A city with a diverse economy might have:1) A big college/university2) Mining/Oil/Natural Resources3) Tech companies moving there4) Big businesses like Fedex, Nike, UPS, Amazon, Samsung, or LG opening up shop there 3) An automobile plantTHAT is the difference between a one horse down and an economically strong and diverse market.Make sure that the market you choose is NOT supported by just 1-2 economic sectors.Pillar #3 - Population Size/GrowthWhen I first started investing, I bought a few houses in Birmingham, Alabama.

Learning the basics of accounting is essential. 

Most of Texas is an oil based economy, even if there is not a well within 100 miles of you.

It's essential to have a GREAT lender that can walk you through options and explain the advantages and costs of each option. 

I read somewhere that it might be possible to long term lease them to my LLC, since the LLC is for the STR business, (essentially rental arbitrage myself). 

It would essentially be the equivalent to your LLC buying the property subject to the existing mortgage (held by you personally).

This business is full of snake oil salesman, piranhas, and know it all's.