TX market has been a popular choice for those seeking higher appreciation.

Responding quickly, like you do, definitely makes guests feel valued and reassured.I think the choice between automation and personal interaction depends a lot on the host's availability and scale.

When we moved, we turned it into a rental, hoping this would be the start of our real estate journey—something we’d like to continue once my husband retires.Some key details:My husband is active duty and will retire in 3 years.We have one final move coming up this summer to Raleigh, NC.Our current debts are crippling us—the high interest makes it tough to stay afloat every month.The plan I proposed to my husband:Sell the rental property.Use the proceeds to pay off all our debts, set aside emergency funds and a down payment for our next home.Free up $1,500/month from debt payments, and that also can stash in a high-yield savings account.Regain full VA loan entitlement, allowing us to purchase a multifamily home and use the house hacking strategy for up coming move.Avoid capital gains tax, since April marks five years of ownership, and the tenant’s lease ends in May.This wasn’t our original plan, and we hate the idea of using our equity to pay off debt.

@Eric L ConryThis is a highly personal choice.

Both strategies have potential here, so it depends on your goals:Strategy 1 (Duplex) can be a solid choice for building equity and generating cash flow, especially in Austin’s competitive short-term rental market.

Tenant covenants and agrees to pay interest at the maximum lawful rate or eighteen percent (18%) interest, whichever is less, compounded annually, on all unpaid Rent, damages, and other amounts owed by Tenant, excluding late fees, from that date of Landlord’s final accounting until such time Tenant pays all such outstanding amounts.

Please let us know if you finally do it!

For what you are trying to achieve you'll want to stick to the suburbs and a few choice neighborhoods on the West Side of the city.

However, it’s not the right choice for everyone.

Finally, BP has various tools available to help you analyze your deals (rental, flips, wholesale, etc), feel free to use them: https://www.biggerpockets.com/investment-calculators Please let me know if I can help, and best of luck!