What generally occurs in these scenarios is that a short term, commercial or HML is used and THEN using a Fannie/Freddie type of loan to refinance out into your permanent financing. 

Typically the agent will still get paid their commissions if you exercise the option but as you know it doesn't always occur.

If you are using uninsured subs you will be liable in the event of an accident to them or the property. 

I did get burnt recently on a rental where the water heater went out and the plumber that they sent out said the the failure occured before the home warranty was purchased. 

You might see 75% of the sales are occurring in certain neighborhoods and that the sweet spot is 250,000 house with 4 bed and 3 bath all brick with a 2 car garage sitting on a level lot of 1/2 an acre.If 250k sale  at 3% = 7,500 commissionIf you pay just 500 transaction fee then 7,000100,000/ 7,000 = around 14 house sales in a year.

Its a fee to hold the unit until the first month's rent is paid and the lease is executed, and is forfeited if that doesn't occur within a certain time-frame, or is converted to the security deposit upon payment of the 1st month's rent.

I have heard that having bikes in your STR is not a good idea because of potential accidents. 

Once that occurs and the inventory is sold, the trickle in gentrification from those neighborhoods starts to increase the need for inventory in the adjacent neighborhoods (the same reason why Grays Ferry has been blowing up relative to PB/New Bold, and Cedar Park/Cobbs creek has been blowing up due to U-City. 2015 was the best time to buy back then because the city was making a turn around and you could still pick up properties in almost every neighborhood for dirt cheap.

Problems on a rehab project most definitely will occur.

I get a document signed at closing stating that this may occur and that the buyer is ok with it.