I'm a stager and decorator, looking to start investing again in Oklahoma City and Kansas City. 

But with tile around $1sf for the decent stuff or 50 cents/sf for the cheap stuff (floor & decor or your equivalent, but don’t bother getting a quote from them to install.

Even knowing that it doesn’t make fiscal sense to own where you live, is it smart to buy a home because you want a place where you can decorate it how you want to, put holes in the wall where you want to, and not worry about a lease ending every few years?

Another tenant had put the decorative sticker that comes with a sheet of stamps on the envelope as postage and that was also received by me.Another tenant had one of those patriotic looking return address labels but no stamp; the post office postmarked that return address label and I received that mail also.I had to receive those - otherwise I couldn't tell these stories ;)

You don't want to somehow have to slip into Nov Dec or Jan to find a renter (weather).  

I do have a property that I manage for someone else and it performs amazingly well but it caters to pets - has a fenced in dog run, pet decor, pet bowls. 

Nearly every STR in The Smokies will be furnished, but you’ll likely haul our dozens of garbage bags of grandma decor. 

Decor and furniture add up.

This was the line that stuck out the most to me"Think about things that I’m going to experience in the home buying process that I can’t learn by googling things" I try to give them the info they wouldn't think to look up like ongoing maintenance, HOA issues, insurance tips and decorating/remodeling advice.

Decoration?