The guy before him gouged me on my personal home, so I'm out looking as well. 

As far as paying cash vs. financing, that's a personal preference.

I'm not too worried personally about my properties because the numbers work out for STR, MTR, and LTR, so I have escape routes, but the 1-2 week bookings during winter and summer have been a better path for me than just doing LTR.Article link below:https://buildingsaltlake.com/city-bulks-up-its-enforcement-o...

I personally rent out 5 bedrooms in our personal home. 

You want the tenants to be accountable to a person, not an LLC.

What are your personal reasons for not working with a co-hosting company? 

I am not against it for the right person, but many people think that its a great way to get into real estate when you have no money and cannot qualify for a traditional loan, in that instance, its a really bad idea and mostly does not end well. 

@Sabina HasanGet an attorney asapEven if this person you are partnering with is a family member - their attorney works for them and not youYou will need to get a copy of all the documents from operating agreement and ppm or other documents being put together and have your attorney review them.

If you are pulling a HELOC or taking family money, leveraging credit cards, using personal savings it took you years to accumulate, whatever the source of money is - unless the source is endless - start small. 

I read the average person uses 17 gallons when taking a shower.