Understand the fees involved and calculate the total cost for an entire year of management so you can compare the different managers.

Have you looked into hard money, of course it has its downside compared to private investors but also some upsides too

DSCR is Debt Service Coverage Ratio, meaning you are comparing the lease to the mortgage PITI payment.

Would love to compare a few before I purchase my first STR :) 

We don't build up high population density compared to many other states.  

When I hear those stories I always think about Kenny Rogers, "Don't Do The Counting Til' The Dealings Done".I never count someone else's money in my mind because so many people are so full of B.S. and they tell you they are getting rich, but they don't tell the truth and after time passes I find that most of these people's business ventures didn't pan out and these people made either very little money when compared to their effort, or they actually lost money.Here is an example.

surrounding country areas cannot compare with the conveniences of the biggest denser populated area.

Seller is willing to do seller financing on one of the properties, but his concerns are:1) Not losing money compared to an outright sale and dumping funds into stock market2) FHA inspecting his unpermited 5th unit.

Sometimes you think you are rich and then you realize that compared to others you still have a long way to go.But, to implement this strategy you need to first get prequalified with a lender.  

But if you want to protect your personal assets and not do an LLC, you can obtain umbrella insurance.The cons are higher financing cost compared to conventional.