Look up ideal existing performing properties, your "hero's" as it were, find out who own's it, and reach out to them. 

I am looking into short term and mid term rentals, ideally in the San Antonio area, at least for my first investment.

While the same comments would apply, the previous Portuguese government enacted a law in 2023 that severely restricted certain types of short-term rental in certain areas and that law has been abolished by the new government because they realized it wouldn't solve the problem.

My goal is to acquire my first investment property, ideally a single-family rental, by early-2025.I’m particularly interested in hearing from others who’ve navigated the Hudson Valley or Catskills markets, especially with rental properties or creative financing strategies.

Any help is much appreciated - obviously a short term rental would be ideal, but it looks like thats out the question for now. 

If you're looking to scale and take full advantage of house hacking, look for a property on the larger end of the spectrum, ideally 4 units.

Obviously all that is ideal and that is the timeframe we would love to get everything done in.

If staying in the deal isn’t ideal for you, an equity buyout by your partner or another investor could be the simplest path.

Ideally the elected leaders can try to streamline the process like we did in FL by prioritizing the rebuilding permits & waiving permit fees.

And I feel the ideal portfolio can benefit from the diversification of both.I feel directly owned properties are great because they give me maximum control and the ability to tweak them exactly how I want.