Work with a lender that has a proven reputation, organization and optimally experience with your broker or area. - Insurance for STRs can be more difficult to issue than a general policy.

You’re right, the menu of money can feel like alphabet soup early on.

I’m a property manager in Grand Rapids, and we use RPM’s Wealth Optimizer along with a customized spreadsheet I’ve built to help investors do exactly this.

Pairing that with solid SEO (search engine optimization) can help your site and listings get in front of more people who are actually searching for what you're offering.If you're ever interested in discussing web and SEO strategies to help build your presence as you scale, I'd be happy to chat.

On $400k net profit, shifting $250k to distributions can save you around $35k in payroll taxes alone.Reimbursing home-office, vehicle, phone and internet, per-diem travel, and health-related fringe benefits, where eligible often adds $15k in annual tax efficiency.Solo 401(k) from S-Corp wages can shelter $23k to $69k+ depending on age or profit, creating additional deferral/savings.Rule of thumb:If net flip profit greater than 150k/yr, the admin hassle may outweigh savings, you will need to optimize insurance and stay in your name or simple LLC for now.If net flip profit less than $200 to 250k/yr or you’re scaling partners/crew, an S-Corp usually pencils, savings can exceed compliance costs by 5–10x.This post does not create a CPA-client relationship.

In the meantime, I’ve heard some hosts are getting traction by leaning more on direct bookings, optimizing titles/descriptions with fresh keywords, and boosting visibility through social media.

I am an experienced realtor have sold a bit over $55 million and can first hand tell you the optimal price for sellers ALWAYS comes first week. 

Not something that you can optimize on your own, without a tax professional.

You can fill the gaps between your MTR clients and really optimize your profits!

That way, you still get the benefits of short-term rental income and experience without the huge upfront cost.And yes, it’s definitely still possible to make money but the margin depends a lot on how optimized your operations are (pricing, guest experience, seasonal adjustments, etc.).