Also it's good to research how the municipality calculates property value.

Before committing, I’d highly recommend researching demand in your target area and connecting with operators who already run similar rentals there.A tiny home or glamping concept could be a huge hit in a market where it’s fresh and unique, but in areas where it’s been done before, you’ll need to bring something innovative to stand out.

I would consider them to be more of a consultancy than a turnkey provider, and as such I think they provide tremendous value.Of course I could do all the legwork from scratch - research markets and properties, find lenders, get home inspectors and insurance and property managers and so forth - but RTR has already done all that and has far more experience and knowledge than I do.

After doing some research I realized that the first lien lender has so much control over the purchase price.

Quote from @Jeff Roth: Hi Lina from Texas-Congratulations on your interest in investing in mid-term rentals and you are wondering how and where to get started.I get this question frequently from investors.Sometimes and investor is looking to keep their property cashflow positive as insurance and taxes have squeezed cashflow by turning units into mid-term or short-term rentals.First off, ideally, the property will cashflow as a long-term rental should something disrupt the mid-term rental model.You will also want to have the property be near where there would be a demand for mid-term rentals (hospitals, universities, research centers).Monthly rents for mid-term rentals are about 20% (+/-) higher than unfurnished similar long-term rentals.There are property managers that will manage mid-term rentals for you and I always advise my clients to use property managers to keep their investment as passive as possible and for compliance issues related to Fair Housing Laws and local regulations.To Your Success! 

If you do not do your market research correctly, it doesn't matter how great your list is because you will pull a list in a bad market.

Where can I do to do some research and figure out weather this style of get away is still growing in popularity, or if it is on the decline? 

The key is making sure you have the right team in place—outside of market research, finding a trustworthy property management company is one of the most important factors in making long-distance investing successful.

I'd start by refining your search criteria, researching the surrounding markets, and comparing them to what best fits your needs, etc. 

Do your research, pick a market from research results not opinions.