Never had a problem with mine at my personal residence then again I'm sure tenants run it hard. 

Investment Info:Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Quote from @Donald Hatter: Pros:- Builders have many homes to sell at one time so it is easier to negotiate a better deal than with a home owner in the same neighborhood who is trying to sell their primary residence - Buyers bust out of deals all the time and builders don't like holding completed homes- Lower maintenance which leads to easier property management expenses.  

You want to be able to wash a king sized comforter easily which the 4.5 does.

@Mary Lopez I'm also a California resident investing the mid west. 

And why is it that every single home - whether its a rental cabin or primary residence - doesn't have to have a sprinkler system?

There are companies that buy properties, renovate them, place a resident in the home, sell to an investor then property manage for the investor as well on the back end.

Finding a place within 5-10 minutes of Barnes, STLCOP, Wash U, etc seems to be a great idea.   

If the residence is inside a gated subdivision or a controlled-access buildingthat is governed by an owner’s association, a letter from the association acknowledging the use and grantingaccess to occupants of the rental unit will be required as part of the application.A short-term residential rental requires a Conditional Use Verification (CUV).A short-term rental use is unavailable and prohibited within a residential unit or a room within a residentialunit that is located in an apartment building.

In 2017 we started our journey with long-term buy-and-hold investment properties in the Memphis, TN area after selling a property that we were losing money on every month in NOVA that we purchased as a primary residence in Jan 2007 (talk about all-time bad timing) and then had to move with the Navy in 2009 (2nd all-time worst timing).