I'd target areas near colleges or transit hubs for affordable properties, and I’d look into financing options like FHA loans or creative financing to make the most of my capital.

Whether it’s for startup costs, equipment, or marketing, leveraging your home’s value can help bring your entrepreneurial goals to life.Bottom LineWhether you’re thinking about selling, upgrading, or simply want to understand your options, your home equity is a powerful resource.

Beyond Pricing, AirDNA, and a few others are options as well.

Do you see them as a viable option early on, or is it better to avoid them altogether?  

We were thinking about this now because it's hard to find good deals in our price range, so thought it might be easier to put it into a bigger deal but sounds like that's not such an option. 

Home 1 is ideal for a fix-and-flip loan to fund the remaining $90K, which I can help you evaluate options.

There are more options, but this is sufficient to answer your question. 

Everyone we have spoken to only considers short term rent as an option.

An option is an encumbrance, buy the property subject to the option at a lower price, if the optionee buys, you sell, if not, you still win.A deed in lieu of foreclosure can be had after the note is purchased at a discount.You can buy the note at a discount and have the owner refinance, same with installment contracts. 

Lots of options as far as raising nightly rates as other STRs shut down, converting to MTR or LTR or doing an exchange to another state.