Podcasts are a great first start, but you should spend a significant amount of time reading some books, the forums, etc.

Some owner's will waive the fee if the renter stays for a certain amount of days.  

You could probably double or triple your profit each month with a STR, but you would probably quadruple the amount of headaches and responsibilities.

A custom trust document can be thousands of dollars, title work always costs more than really necessary, and I end up writing most of my own contracts now anyway (at a fair amount of risk I'm sure). 

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

The amount is negotiated with them directly.

If you own your own home in the area (or know someone who does), the amount you're paying for homeowner's insurance is usually a reasonable estimate.  

Depends on your goals, your timeline, the amount of money you are planning on investing, the cash flow it generates, if you are married or single, your annual income, your tolerance for "tenants, turmoil & toilets", and a couple of other things.

If I can justify a rent increase, I will increase the rent and offer another one-year lease at the increased rent amount. 

If you can show that it's going to be X amount of dollars, get three quotes of how much X amount of dollars is to fix that property.