As inflation drives rent growth, properties in stable markets like the Midwest can continue to deliver returns even in higher-rate environments.Market Conditions Favor Real Estate RecoveryThe commercial real estate (CRE) market has faced significant challenges in recent years, but signs point to a recovery:Bottom of the Market Cycle: CRE appears to have reached its low point in late 2024, with 2025 marking the start of a slow recovery phase.Limited New Supply: High interest rates have curtailed new construction, which should drive rent growth in the coming years.Policy Changes on the Horizon: There is growing discussion about potential policy shifts under the new administration, including a return of 100% bonus depreciation and lower interest rates.

The second challenge would be finding land in a decent enough area where building a rental makes sense.

So an investor buys the property, you pay them a down payment for the lease option then pay rent for a year and after a year you have option to buy it.What makes this challenging is the lease option payment would probably need to be around 20% of the purchase price but it sounds likeyou do not have it. maybe moving is just not in the cards.

And if you dare to challenge anything their Messiah states, you're immediately booted.

The challenge for a PMC is having the time to answer all your HUNDREDS of questions and handholding you as you learn, while still making money.

As it relates to lease end dates I've seen two things work here. 1) You can stagger end dates as mentioned above or 2) you can optimize for summer - this works better for us in areas where you see students or families with school age children moving to align with the summmer months.Separately, this is a great argument against month-to-month leases.  

Over-budgeting is critical to ensure that renovations don’t eat into your profits.Market Fluctuations: If property values in your area do not appreciate as expected, or if you face a market downturn, the amount you can refinance for may be lower than anticipated.Financing Challenges: Securing financing for the initial purchase and rehab, as well as refinancing after the property is rehabbed, may be challenging, particularly if the property is located in an area with fluctuating values or if the rehab work doesn’t immediately improve the property’s appraised value.Tenant Risk: Rent collection and tenant management can be unpredictable.

Thirdly, financing and potentially selling later on could be challenging again with the part of the plan being on a campground. 

(I work with some challenging populations and the extra effort has paid off in these situations.) 

Being a Navy public affairs officer and moving often sounds like a unique challenge, but it also gives you the chance to explore and invest in different markets.