According to the local realtors I met with, the market here is very hot with little inventory.

https://www.zillow.com/research/2024-hottest-market-33566/ Cincinnati is definitely hot, for everyone (always good to see) another area that is close is Northern Ky (Covington/Newport.

That gives you diversification, more freedom, and you are still invested without all the effort.Self-storage is hot right now, but it may be worth looking for a facility in your area that you can improve and self-manage.

Charlotte NC has a really hot market with a lot of growth in terms of population.

@Edison Reis the Eastern Panhandle near Berkeley Springs is hot right now with overflow from Northern Virginia. 

If not you will need a very large hot water heater.

Rather than second-guessing "what is the new hot STR market" as I see many do - I may be biased - I believe it makes more sense to invest the time in figuring out how to succeed in a year-round market which is proven to attract tourists year after year.

We are 6 mos out from an election, housing is a "hot button" issue and we printed $5 Trillion dollars ..... 

We also got a small place in-case we didn't successfully rent it, we could cover the costs. 565 sq ft and no hot tub so we counted on weekend rentals.

Crazy how hot the market was then, and still is today.