In the near future, we’ll be visiting The Shoals area in northern Alabama, where we’re considering a potential move this spring.

I lived in a college town and student rentals did very well as did STRs for parents coming in to visit their children.  

This keeps them motivated.Clear Contracts: Make sure your contracts have deadlines and penalties for delays.Regular Check-Ins: Visit the site often to catch issues early and keep things on track.Scaling UpMultiple Contractors: Work with more than one contractor to avoid delays.

Vacation rental owners should be on all four listing sites.

Here is my simple Top 5:1.Review the market – Understand the trends and conditions in the area.2.Analyze the property and the numbers – Ensure the deal makes financial sense.3.Visit the property – There’s no substitute for seeing it firsthand.4.Meet the team – Whether it’s your property manager, builder, or contractor, relationships matter.5.Complete inspections and appraisals – These protect you from costly surprises.If all these boxes are checked and the numbers work for your goals, then it’s likely a solid deal.

I have visited many where street view looks awesome and of course you get excited. 

Looking for in country contacts banks, agents, contractors, recommended areas, etc to prep for a productive visit.  

i'd pick a market close by, or that you have a personal connection to, or that you visit often.chasing cash flow by itself can lead to negative outcomes - for example, these investors bought in supposed "cash flow" markets:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/1215726-break...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...hope this helps.

Particularly for your first few properties, I'd highly recommend that you manage the property yourself (if possible), but that's usually only possible (or most effective) if you live near the property or visit it frequently.

Visit the property and learn about various renovation stages, gain insights from our experienced investors / speaker, and learn strategies for evaluating deals, managing budgets, and maximizing ROI.What to expect:Property walkthroughsReview before photos and discuss transformation plansDive into real deal numbers—costs, profits, and challengesNetworking with industry prosOpen Q&A session to ask anything about the process