So if you could gc them yourself, you could force some equity on the new construction deals and the new construction ones might be a no brainer.The other question I'd have is whether you're getting deals on the pre-existing homes.Ultimately, its going to be real tough to scale either one if you're paying retail because if you're buying 250k homes and putting down 20 to 25%, you'll run out of cash real quick. 

And people refuted me when I said racism and discrimination in housing doesn't exist.

Re knowing the market, which is one of the reasons (I've read up on that) you'd want a RE agent, esp if not from the area, which I am not, my agent is from about 2 hours away and as the listing is an existing Airbnb for 3 years, I see the prior numbers, and based on that, reviews, and market data, have made an estimate of what I believe it will make under my ownership.

As a first time investor, I'm thinking to replicate those existing houses (with little bit of my touch) but wanted to ask what would be the pros and cons in terms of competing with existing STR's in the community?

Crime is on the rise, property protections for landlords is nearly non-existent, and development is leaving the area for more favorable regulations. 

Hi Sarah,As  mentioned above, I don't think such a thing exists.

I guess I see the value in it if its not the highest and best use of ones time to trudge out to the CC office and spend hours searching through who has property and who doesnt but that value doesnt exist for me.

Yes, inventory is ultra-low and discounts are almost non-existent.

We were not there often due to travel and had no pets, apartment was returned in the same condition that we received itI am wondering if a normal wear and tear allowance calculation is something that actually exists and by law they need to provide the hourly rate breakdown and what was cleaned correct?

This is not some foo-foo "follow your passion" dream; it's a realistic way of finding out what motivates you, discovering what financial opportunities exist in that realm, and working in the areas in which they converge.