A typical five-piece surround is held together with glue and caulk, and without maintenance, it will fall apart and just cause you more problems.Instead, go ahead with a two-piece surround or even a tile surround.

It seems like I need to check further away from the DMV area.My feelings are if you want “cash flow” you should buy a bond (I really like the tips rate right now) there is next to no reason to buy real estate for cash flow, if you are going to buy you should buy with appreciation in mind, which is not to say that’s the route I’d go, I’ve been liquidating properties to put in stocks and money market funds over the last few years and u just did the math and I’ve come out well ahead, but just to say there are arguments for stocks/bonds, there are arguments for levered appreciation, but the cap rates pretty much anywhere aren’t worth it vs an inflation protected bond, especially since a 3/rd of inflation is real estate anywhere, you could get “cash flow” and inflation protection much easier through a tips.

If you're not sure, do a road trip across the state, visit some of these areas and see what 'vibe' fits with you more.

I just wanted to give you guys a heads up.

All are profits/income tand you are still coming out ahead, even if you have to pay taxes on them. 

STR can be exciting from many angles - Cash Flow, Appreciation, and best of all.. having a place to visit while renters pay down your mortgage (even near the beach!).

Go ahead and run with it.

I also looked at hundreds of deals online and visited over a dozen properties before I landed on this 8 unit.

I now inform all prospective buyers ahead of time that I will send my painter in as a 1 time courtesy once they complete their move-in to touch up hallways.

That's a great way to learn from others who are in the same boat or farther ahead of your curve.