Looking at long term trend lines I think we still have a 25-30% gap to fill in the next years and short of a black swan type event that will happen, because there is no way that supply can catch up with demand.

Books that have helped me are Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Long Distance Real Estate Investing by @David Greene, The ABCs of Real Estate investing and Crushing It by Brian Murray. 

My first house ever purchased was a short sale that I picked up in June of 2012 for $135,000 that my wife and I lived in for about 3 years.

I have been thinking about buying a 2 family, renting in one unit and living in the other in the short term.

We've also put together some training events for short-term rentals.

Be wary of that area, especially long distance.

It really depends on how challenging the project is, distance between heads, and the electrical work needed.How many heads are you looking to get?

Just wondering if it’s allowed to view the inside of a short sale home before purchasing it?

Right now it’s break even for cash flow, but i see the clear path to increasing the rental value in a short amount of time to get where i want to be.

Long story short.... your weekly rent was likely not paying for your hosts cigarettes.