Having reasonable expectations, hiring a local professional (Realtor or PM), doing your research, and doing everything right (i.e. pro photos, professional design, good renovation, proper amenities and location, etc) are the keys to success in 2025.

You should see if there are any local real estate meetups going on while you're in town.

Definitely join your local chapter of REIA (real estate investors association) or join one of the ones that are fully online (Columbus and Cincinnati).

A customer of mine happened to be a local real estate investor and he owned the land next to my business. 

From what I've heard, local banks are sometimes more flexible than the big guys.A buddy of mine managed to snag a HELOC on his rental property, which isn't always straightforward, but it opened doors for him.

I found this property through my network of local real estate professionals.

Agree, STR are saturated but given the numbers, I expect unsuccessful players will leave the market.  

We have been working in the affordable housing space for some time, and this allowed us to partner with the local community and provide a housing solution they need as their city continues to expand with new jobs they are successfully bringing to town.

I also saw your post on one of the local Buffalo facebook forums, and will caution you that you are going to get a WIDE variety of feedback from a WIDE variety of investors -- especially on that group! 

Thank youBest,SathishkumarI would potentially try starting out being a cohost in that local area or work for a cohost company .