I’m naturally inclined toward this area because it’s within driving distance of major west Coast cities (L.A., San Diego, and others)—making it feel like a “natural” choice for a regional traveller wanting to get away for a short weekend. 

I work a lot, probably more than the average W2, but we also travel a lot, at least 6 trips every year.So that's what's driving me, numbers on a screen are nice, but they are not fulfilling on a personal level.

Hey Max, Nice to meet you here.. do you have any top priorities when searching for a property to drive by?

In my experience, there are a range of starting-off experiences, but one's experience is not always indicative of someone's desire/drive/commitment to pursue and thrive in real estate. 

Their clear incentive is to bet on falling interest rates between now and debt maturity.A small handful of owners are forced to sell due to a looming balloon payment that a refi won't cover, but you're not going to find one of those by driving the market when any commercial broker can just look up properties on that basis and start making calls. 

These days as you mention with STR almost everything can be handled remotely...cleaning, painting, locksmith, yard care, even drive by pictures of the house occasionally or internal pictures too. 

Your drive and determination will take you far—keep pushing forward, and success will follow!

Drive for dollars.

I'm sure OK has its share of dumps but you really have to drive around FL to truly appreciate how much low-cost housing there is.  

You don't walk into a KIA dealership and complain that it doesn't drive like a BMW do you?