Quote from @Terrence M Brannon: Quote from @Garrett Cuppels: spent $15 on a book about Airbnb rentalSkip the Flip by Hayden Crabtree which was freeHow To Start A Profitable Airbnb Business in 4 Weeks: Optimize Your Profits and Go From Side Hustle to Passive Income With Minimal Effort What book did you buy? 

Aim for roughly a 10–20% increase in ARV through high-ROI items like kitchen and bath refreshes, flooring, paint, fixtures, curb appeal, and rent optimization.

The right choice depends on what you’re optimizing for.

Proactive tax planning helps you leverage deductions, choose optimal structures, and keep more of what you earn.

A mediocre deal with strong management will usually outperform a great deal with weak execution.One suggestion given your profile would be to start with something simple and boring rather than trying to optimize returns on the first deal.

.- in general OO SFH are purchased to be good homes for the purchaser and not optimal rentals.  

The win is what happens after rent growth, refi, or ops optimization — not month one.Cash flow ≠ deal quality.Plenty of solid SubTo deals start at breakeven or slightly negative and turn into monsters over 12–36 months.

Your first investment should optimize for learning and downside protection.

Ask yourself what this next phase is optimizing forIf it’s:Lifestyle + control → local makes senseScale + income replacement → secondary markets often winLong-term wealth → a mix of both tends to perform bestI work as a real estate agent in Memphis, TN, and help a lot of California investors make this exact transition.

Check gas valves and test for any leaksRefrigerant Levels: Check refrigerant levels to ensure optimal cooling performance.