The markets near me are seemingly over saturated so I thought to look to other markets out of state that aren't as saturated to have a better chance of getting many deals/ connections!

Well team Jay says  there is no such thing as lender paid mortgage insurance on a private loan there is PMI that borrower pays on Fha type loans.Also quick view of the website shows they advertise making VA and FHA loans..

Bigger Pockets is a business, if someone thinks this business's own website is not an appropriate place for them to try to sell their product that's just nonsensical.3.

.- A strategic website- A Google Business profile that actually shows up- Messaging that’s clear, local and confident- A brand that looks like you know what you're doingBecause when someone’s ready to buy or sell,they don’t scroll for hours.They pick the first one who feels REAL!

(In many states the county assessor’s website will tell you this.)

It's hard to predict tax increases beyond high cost areas are likely to stay that way relative to other areas.

For everyone thinking about getting into real estate investing, I recommend spending at least 6 months educating yourself through websites likes this and its family of books and podcast, other real estate podcast, books at the library, and local meetups.

Are there activities they don't do that other listing agents perform by default?

There are several Facebook groups for short-term rentals that would be great resources to connect with other STR investors:Smarter Short Term Rentals with Avery Carl (she’s an agent and has written 2 books on STR investing)Build Short Term Rental Wealth with Bill FaethThese 2 groups are a great start for asking questions and seeing what others are doing in the STR space.Hope this helps!

I love both your strategies, but if it is at all possible for you to host hack aka buy a 2-4 unit building, live in one unit, and rent out the others that would be the best way to get into the real estate space with the least amount of risk.