One more tip hit town homes and condo communities in the area.

Hey Jack,Welcome to the Bigger Pockets community!

Typically its done for open space or use for community property (ie. fire station location or other county use) and typicaly would assist in increasing tax base.  

Welcome to this awesome community.

Hi Jon from Boyertown, PA-You and your fiancé are interested in buying your first short-term rental and wonder profitable areas to purchase with a budget up to $500,000.I would look at places along the west coast of Michigan, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and near Ann Arbor, MI.It is important to understand the local STR regulations in each community and partner with a property management company that can help your navigate that and manage it well for an excellent guest experience.Don't forget to look into bonus depreciation and doing a cost segregation study to increase the tax benefits of ownership and if you "materially participate" in the management of the property per IRS guidelines it can offset active W-2 income which most real estate cannot.To Your Success!

Instead, build a solid bench of 3rd party vendors; HVAC, plumber, handyman, etc..When considering whether or not to make a hire, most of it depends on how many hours you can dedicate to that individual each week, at least when hiring a maintenance tech.

Welcome to the BP community @Maryann Nichols There are many here to help on your journey.

Hi @Lance Christensen Welcome to the Bigger Pockets community!  

Welcome to the community, Nish. 

What I like about real estate community you all are open about trials and tribulations.