If they don't work, walk away and don't try to force it.

It was great to get our heads in the game, and got us to move quicker to get a house (since we were basically forced to get a pre-approved loan in order to tour houses...).

Examples might include areas in the Midwest, Southeast, or Sunbelt regions.Multifamily Properties: Consider duplexes, triplexes, or small apartment buildings to increase unit count and spread risk across multiple tenants.Short-Term Rentals: If you’re comfortable with the management requirements, STRs in vacation or business travel markets can offer significantly higher cash flow potential than traditional rentals.Value-Add Properties: Look for opportunities to buy undervalued properties where you can force appreciation through renovations or better management.Decision FrameworkRun the Numbers: Compare the projected cash flow, equity growth, and tax implications of selling versus holding with a refinance or HELOC.

I've consistently written about the forces of nature and her current and future effects on the real estate market (even while often being ridiculed and politicized on this very site for it) regardless: I personally moved and invested in coastal Oregon in 2018 from Venice Beach Los Angeles partly as a result of the trajectory of climate and have assisted several clients that specifically purchased on the Oregon Coast for their own 'climate havens,' investment and future retirement homes. 

You have to force them with everything, call follow up email every day.

The only thing propping them up and forcing them higher is our monetary system and governmental regulations that limit competition in the market place. 

If your property manager is not listed as an additional insured, they may not be covered under your policy in the event of an incident on your property, leaving both of you potentially exposed to liability.It can save you money.If your property manager is not added to your insurance policy as an additional insured, they may be forced to purchase their insurance policy to protect themselves.

We can't find the next opportunity, have little economy of scale, so I'm forced to keep our reserves high.

For me, I am a little hesitant because I would be in a situation where I would be trying to secure traditional lending (which should be very feasible given credit scores & what $$ amount I am pre-approved up to from my banks), meaning that I assume I would be forced into using my first-time homebuyer loan incentives.

If you are very conservative purchase a fixer upper so you can force equity and hopefully have a low enough payment so that you can LTR the property or even sell for profit should the STR avenue not work.