Anyone with STR experience in Charlotte or Concord, NC?

[Jeshua Patrick]

I am wanting to get into the real estate investing scene but I want to start local and my wife wants STR property near the beach. I think I've convinced her to compromise by trying STR's locally to start then, once we have some experience, look at beach property later. I am in Concord, NC just outside of Charlotte. Was hoping to find another member in my area who has done STR's to give me some pointers on how to determine if I have a good deal and maybe recommend a good cleaner. Some things I want to know are as follows. Can I charge for cleaning if I do daily bookings and, if so, how much? Is 1BR or 2BR better and why? Does it need to cash flow under a conventional LTR model or does that not apply? There are some AirBNB's in Concord but only two close to a property I'm looking at. Property is 1 BR/1BA luxury condo right off I-85, 5 miles from Concord Mills, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Z-Max dragway. It is right next to a bunch of nice restaurants, a YMCA, walking distance to a park, and in a growing area. Only concern is that it has been on the market for 23 days when properties are flying off the market in a week or less right now.