Sounds more like trying to win a popularity contest, aiming to gain votes and likes from people here that also have something against wholesaling.But OK let me play along.Let's fact-check this:OP: "It’ll truly be strange to even hear people and gurus trying to make big money off it."

Yup this is right out of the Sub Too guys play book. 

Plus, having a fully paid-off property could be a nice safety net if the STR market takes a hit or occupancy slows down.On the flip side, if you’re eager to grow, saving for another property could be the better play.

I’m all done playing those games.    

Role-playing.     . you paid $300k 10 years ago, it’s worth $660k, (so when you sell you net $600k to make math easy.)and your cpa determined that you owned zero land, so it’s all depreciatable. you owe 15% on the $300k gain plus 25% tax on $109k depreciation recapture, so you owe $70k in federal taxes, then California reaches out for another $30k?  

If this is your first investment and your first property, the quickest way to fail is to create an uneven playing field.

We're probably not going to take the risk if we're busy agents to play that game. 

Main thing I would think of if you are targeting families are things like pack and plays, cribs, gamerooms for kids, etc. as well.

I look for density plays that can be executed in an infill setting.

I am far from an expert in this field as I have been learning alot myself but cap rate does play a role in your type of business.