However, I’m concerned that the recent employment gap, combined with the instability of contract work, might make it difficult to qualify for a loan.I reached out to the broker with these concerns but haven’t heard back, so I’m turning to BiggerPockets for advice.What’s the best path forward?

The properties available in that area fitting our criteria are around 200-250k, and we have around 45k combined saved.

Most property managers and landlords use a combination to get the most exposure.

Currently, I have this following DP3 policy that will be the renewal:SECTION I – PROPERTY COVERAGES LIMIT OF LIABILITY PREMIUMCoverage A – Dwelling $265,400Coverage B – Other Structures $5,308 IncludedCoverage C – Personal Property $5,000 IncludedCoverage D – Fair Rental Value* $26,540 IncludedCoverage E – Additional Living Expense*:*Coverage D and E combined, limited to 10% of Coverage A for the same loss (see policy).SECTION I – DEDUCTIBLES:In case of a property loss, we only cover that part of the loss over the deductible(s) stated:All Other Perils other than Hurricane Deductible:HURRICANE DEDUCTIBLE: 2% of Coverage A Sinkhole Deductible: Not Included$2,500$5,308SECTION II– LIABILITY COVERAGESCoverage L – Personal LiabilityCoverage M– Medical Payments to Others$100,000 $0.00$2,000 Included☺️ If anyone has any ideas on this I would appreciate some conversation.

But it would be a total "killer app" to combine the power of these two apps.What I am doing now is using Deal Finder to find properties and then inputting those finds into the Rental property calculator.

And their rent roll combine will allow us to cash flow after gas, water, rent, and setting aside money for capex. 

-Again, for CRE but complete a void analysis to create a very targeted marketing plan-Create a short-form video tour for social media-Add to local search feed with SEO (GMB, Apple Business Connect)As you said, there's a lot more but those are just a few extra ideas. 

Making millions a year and often paying $0 in taxes.Short Term Rentals supercharge this:RE pros use cost segregation and bonus depreciation combined with leverage to create massive losses with minimal cash.Combined with 1031s and snowballing, you create a business that never pays tax.

Yes, you may be able to make a grouping election to combine multiple STRs into a single activity.

It's a great combination since everyone is obsessed with both.