Lake Lure may have some potential since stuff is cheap there- I've heard it's a pretty weak return since there are more vacation rentals than there are vacationers, and since its primarily summer seasonal.

Lots of retirees, vacationers, beach culture, tourism dollars and of course friendly Carolinians.

With a 2-3 bedroom home in a fun part of town you could AIR BNB or VRBO the home to travelers and vacationers (especially in florida) while you are gone.

What about using airbnb.com to get short term vacationers in your area?

I completely empathize with your want to stand out from the crowd and do as much as possible, but I think the main key with short-term rentals is that you'd like to satisfy the vacationer's expectations, and then wow them with a little bit more (but no more amenities above that).That is, your metric probably should be based on customer feedback and not "pushing your place beyond other [landlords]."

Many, not all, simply view the election results as America finally standing up and taking ownership of that image.Not saying this is accurate, simply commenting as someone that has traveled extensively outside of North America. ( I have met with many American vacationers that actually have a small Canadian flag visible on their luggage when out of country)It is possible that U.S. citizens will benefit from Trump in the ways that are most important to America.

The town knows it's a hot spot for summer vacationers from Chicago and has worked the tax code so that taxes are higher for people who don't live there year-round - and the taxes are close to double.

I currently am doing airbnb, but winter is an upcoming concern as vacationers don't rent as often. 

Without fail, he comes back every time with a bunch of loan apps from vacationers that loved the idea of buying a vacation home, once he suggested it and told them it didn't require 25% down.

Done right, Tampa is an excellent market for it, and since we have so many South American vacationers, you can tap into that market using platforms other than Airbnb.