A market that would be very competitive on the STR market, and still be in your price range is the Spruce Pine/Burnesville/Little Switzerland area.

Adjacent pine tree died and was starting to lean, $1,700.

I believe it is.If a house is in such a horrible neigbourhood that it doesnt justify an extra 300-500 dollars for a fridge, I then rather question if the house is even worth flipping.You are competing with all the other houses on the market.Take our flip from last yearhttps://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9-Princess-Pine...We bought it for 64.5K.We were going to list it for 250K but because of our awesome finishes we decided to list it for 299KWe sold it for 335Khttps://www.trulia.com/p/ct/clinton/9-princess-pin...People think it is the expensive stuff (expensive granite or fancy cabinets) that sells a house.Wrong!

Also keep in mind pine like you have can bleed through paint so if you do paint you need a good primer. 

I agree, the beaches are supreme and if you go inland a mile and its like you're in good ole east Texas (except the pines are much dinkier, and the deer are pathetic).

I was going to turn my 33 acres into pasture, but after pricing fertilizer, t-posts and wire, am replanting in pine this winter.

Aberdeen and Southern Pines are two of my favorites that I usually hit for quick flips that I sell pretty much always to investors. 

(any breed can be trained to perform tasks)  Ada also allows for miniature ponies as a service animal believe it or not.

Service Animals can be a Dog or a Miniature Pony.

As newer transplants try to find affordable housing, Bastrop will be a top choice with some A+ lifestyle options (chic downtown, bastrop state park, colorado river, pine forests).