So think walkable (bonus) or by public transportation, if not garage parking is a must for when they come home late.

Quote from @John Park: Hello All, 1st time home buyer here - looking mainly in Fairfax/Arlington counties, with loudon being a last resort. 

We are about a month away from having the dedicated parking spot finished (gated w/ keycode access).

The parks are now take a couple hours a week for management and people in the park are always willing to help out. 

The $150 termite inspection and $160 to treat for powder post beetles (the damage was probably 60 years old) didn’t turn me off a bit, nor did splitting a $1500 parking pad issue that was called out by the appraiser.

Orange Park has had next to no new supply since the 80s/90s because of barriers to entry in the physical barriers around the submarket as well as the low allowable density for new construction.

In both of my houses having 1 bathroom shared between 4 people has not been an issue, but I also have maid service and a large house which helps a lot.Other things you have to think about are parking issues, storage space for each person, and utilities which you will usually end up paying for now and that decreases your profit.They are also not "set it and forget it" type properties.  

Or park the cash on the side in other investments while you wait for the best buying opportunities. 

Who owns a STR or MTR in the Fort Collins, Longmont, Estes Park areas?

You may have a grasp on this aspect, but there are items to consider that can play a big factor when choosing your land such as topography, existing zoning & platted lot status, minimum/maximum requirements such as parking, detention, size of building, setbacks.