Over the long term.  

Hard money and private investing are both ways to finance flips, but they work a little differently.Hard money loans are typically from companies or private lenders that specialize in short-term, high-interest loans.

Do you believe in it’s mid to long term growth potential?

I have to caution would-be investors: Don't count on the returns they say they expect to achieve.

At this point, I'm not so concerned about achieving that exactly, but if my REI journey takes me there on my way to (or even after) financial freedom, then I'm all for it.There's still some work to do to prepare financially for "the first deal" and that moment legitimately appears to be about 2 years away. 

It seemed like a long-term play with less price or industry volatility.

For example, a property in San Diego may lose $500 per month ($6,000 per year) but gain $60,000 per year in value, making it worthwhile to "lose" money each month in exchange for long-term gains.I recommend you start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free).

Part of those cuts included the short-term rental tax loophole, a strategy real estate investors can use to help mitigate their rental income tax by offsetting earned income with real estate losses, and could be renewed or extended.  

@Paul Lucenti It is common to equate acquiring more properties to scaling and many rely on buying lower tier market/neighborhood section 8 rentals to achieve this goal.

A couple of things I like to tell my newbies-Owning a short-term rental property can offer significant financial benefits.