Most gulf front investments are mostly appreciation plays unless you do a serious renovation.

It's important to understand the difference, and I'd recommend sticking with the REIT with depreciation advantages.The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) includes a 199A deduction and applies to certain income from pass-through entities (including REIT dividends) and allows individuals to take the 20% deduction against REIT dividend distributions that yields an effective tax rate of 29.6% or 37% (80% for upper bracket filers).

It's good to hear that you want to play the long-term hold game as that is how you'll ultimately build equity.  

Those newer pickup's individually did not sustain themselves, but typically had the mortgage paid off within a few years.

The individual proves their identity before receiving a code.I still do in-person showings as much as possible, but unattended showings are great for after-hours, weekends, or holidays.

Our guests have ranged from newly hired UNR football coaches relocating their families to individuals traveling for medical care, couples on ski leases for Mt.

There's a high chance that you are feeling FOMO from the returns in public markets, sell your houses for a loss, pile into stocks, and then see mediocre performance while real estate heads back higher again.I see this, and similar actions, play out over and over.Personally, I'd stick with the real estate rather than selling it.

The STR, if purely an appreciation play,  is speculation to me. 

I'm not well versed in the tax code by any means but this whole depreciation thing seems like something that applies to some people based on individual circumstance but the gurus preach it to the masses.

If you're aiming for growth and can secure a low-interest mortgage, financing might be the better play.