Investing locally would be ideal for sure.  

Retirement accounts are designed to be invested passively so when the IRS sees you running an active business in it, to level the playing field between retirement accounts and other business the retirement account incurs UBIT. 

Warner Robin's is another great market...there's  an airforce base and it's in close proximity to Macon which makes it ideal.

Not sure if the upstairs tenant (heavyset person with a dog) plays a role.Seeking suggestions.

Without doing a deep dive explanation on this forum, I will say that everyone can play with numbers to create whatever picture you want.

I highly recommend you play with that tool to start getting an understanding of what things you can do to positively affect your credit! 

Ideally I'd like the ability to invest in individual stocks of my own choosing (fractional shares is a plus), a diverse option of index funds, and ETFs.Has anyone found a great banking option to have the most flexibility with your HSA investments?

Others noted that the appreciation play could make it worth keeping, I tend to look more heavily on appreciation since real estate investing is more of a long term game.

A HELOC offers flexibility and lower interest rates, which can be ideal if you’re looking for short-term financing with lower payments during construction.

You need to remember that, hopefully, this is a long-term play for you, so work with a trusted STR designer (I have great recommendations), and spend the money upfront so you can be the most successful in your area.