Huntsville is a very popular market (and there are short direct flights from DC too), but I would encourage you to take a look in Florence and Muscle Shoals, Alabama where we manage.If you are interested in the Shoals area, I can help you with insights regarding economic vibrancy, market dynamics, investment strategy, high-ranking public-school systems, etc... and a turn-key experience by helping you find an investment and managing it too.

Kind of feels like I have my row boat and paddle on the trail but zero direction to the water.

I also jJust ran a report for "total rent" (w/o cleaning fees & taxes) and while the 1st QTR(Jan-Mar) trailed lower, all my Smokies properties exceeded last April's total rent except one was lower by $98. 

If you're thinking in the Reno Tahoe, NV area you can check out this rent map: https://www.addressincome.com/data-center/reno-rent-mapLook at other factors in the neighborhoods, like close to trails, restaurants, college, or a cement plant.

Some things that make a rental appealing 1 - pet policy (pets or no pets allowed)2 - number of full bathrooms 3 - number of floors (single level vs multi)4 - backyard or lack thereof5 - school ratings (higher the better)6 - crime ratings (lower the better)7 - location to highways8 - amenities (parks, pools, trails, lakes, etc)9 - location to place of employment.10 - age of the property 11 - appliances Just to name a few.

Best of luck, and feel free to reach out if you have any further questions about Florence or Muscle Shoals, Alabama!

Provide access information to the contractorKeep it simple.Use email instead of text or calling to create a paper trail.

Dave Ramsey isn't wrong, but he is miles from "right" on how to utilize money because he DOSN'T teach or speak of how to utilize, implement, leverage or deploy money as he dosn't know how to himself, hence the trail of bankruptcies. 

I don't see rapid growth/appreciation in the Shoals either;  it's simply too far away to catch the momentum from Huntsville/Madison's growth.  

We have a lot of Airbnb places in the area because of the mountains, lakes, Virginia Creeper Trail, and the Appalachian Trail.