The deal referred to above is an 8 plex and would be a perfect stepping stone into larger multi family.Any advice on this topic would be very appreciated. 

She also said dog is crate trained for when she has to run errands.

I've always believed that it's better to work to hit a single than to try to hit a home run in your first deal, in the larger scheme of things.

The issue is larger than STR bans and IMO the right political approach can make a difference. 

The sec121 exclusion is usually one of the larger reasons.Hope this helps. 

I think people will start to reach higher for more house knowing this(probably already have but more will do so) and eventually traditional financial institutions or new FinTech firms will capitalize that short-term rent potential into larger loan eligibility.Things like work from home obviously accelerated the shake-up and gave people an ability to get out of the mega-cities like New York or LA.

I would find out what the 300 is for and over what length of time.  300 in current utilities and they just haven't paid yet but they pay utilities every month, no big deal.  300 in past due utilities they have never paid over 4 months could be a larger issue.  

Larger houses though and all high-end stuff.

Does he have the right to make the sellers wait on a variance or do a larger subdivision?

An agent who had good markets for 1-4 family properties may not for the larger.