Advice/experience in Richmond Metro - STR/House Hack?

[Alex Fuqua]

Hi all!

Hopefully investing in a house hack in the next 2-4 months in the Richmond, Va. area and looking for guidance on STR "friendly" areas in Richmond metro. First-time investor here also!

My wife, young daughter, and I moved back to Richmond from Denver where my wife and I house hacked a rental home with a small Airbnb on-site for a few years and would love to purchase our own property soon and do something similar now that we're back. Obviously, Airbnb/STRs have taken a massive hit worldwide so we're looking for the flexibility to have a longer-term rental as well in this house hack.

City of Richmond is in the process of deciding on updated STR regs soon (I think). And Henrico is 60-day max number of stays in an owner-occupied on-site STR. Any other local/metro restrictions/experience that we should be aware of?

Looking for any professional connections in the area as well! I was laid off in Denver working for a fairly young RE/tech startup in mid-March and I'd love to talk about potential employment opportunities/needs in Richmond. 

TIA for any advice/recommendations anyone might have!