Destin is a great spot for house hacking—tourism is strong, so renting out part of your property could help with the mortgage.

I think real estate is very forgiving (1) over the LONG term and (2) if you're well capitalized / in a strong financial position. 

I have a friend who is a banker locally, he's seen business bank numbers for 40 years...he know what makes a strong business client and when it is a weak business with some good years.

I think it could be due to niche cabins still having a strong nightly rate but I’m a total noob. 

New construction in a saturated market isn’t always the best play if you’re looking for steady returns.A place like Rochester has way better fundamentals—lower buy-in, strong rent-to-price ratios, and stable demand from universities, hospitals, and major employers.

If this is for real, I strongly suspect you'll need to be an accredited investor.

Given your buy box, keep an eye out for properties with strong rental demand and minimal major repairs.

Hi Dave, welcome to the real estate worldCollin, Denton, and Grayson counties are great picks with growing demand and strong rental potential.

What started off as primarily a second home with the possibility of short term leasing quickly flipped to a STR first and a second home when not rented because demand is so strong right now for STR's in this area. 

Can some of your concerns be mitigated (locally) through things like strong tenant vetting and property class selection?