A young population plus a growing industry makes for good long term investments, but unless you are really scaling the cashflow can be hit or miss. 

It can be in the real estate industry, property management, construction, lending etc.

You're spot on with the tax liability. 

We did quite well in the Timber game in the 90s Owned many thousands of acres of Timberland during that time its a great industry one of the favorite things I ever did beat the heck out of rental houses LOL

I know that I will need a good realtor on my team that understands not just the market but the real estate investment industry itself.

But if you know any other resources or great spots to get started, please share them! 

I'm Igor - a revenue management expert with over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Once you know that, you'll be able to spot one that might have a better return than 'normal'.

I agree with Collin.The Smokies do have a lot of competition, so you need to have a view, decent location, good to great amenities etc to stand out.We have a 6-bedroom cabin there, but I imagine a 3 to 4 bedroom would be in the sweet spot of not too big or not too small.

I recognize there are other ways I could invest this cash (including another property) but I am being mindful of levering myself out too much in the current environment where job losses are more common in my industry (tech).