Soon, there will be a ton of posts below from agents in Columbus and Cleveland to "help" you, but you already know where you want to be.I wouldn't be thinking STR for Ohio unless you are doing woodsy, which can work, but the table stakes are high on those (swimming holes, saunas, game rooms, hot tubs).

So, you need Zillow to tell you it's hot in TX and FL gets hurricanes?

I'm hoping to see more of this and praying it gets passed bc we have 2 strs in Hot Springs that have been slapped w/rediculous annual fees and investment hindering regulation.

Of course a seller is free to require whatever conditions he desires… but the reality is that in anything but the rare ultra hot seller’s market requiring “stiffer” qualifications to make an offer will result in a lower price. 

In a hot market I was one of over 20 bids.

Make sure that this won't put your future buyer in hot water with the VA or his lender. 

Check who pays the hot water for the tenants' units.

One consideration is that the market we are looking at is pretty hot so properties fly off if the offers are not all cash.

Several reasons: market rates, cost of operations, risks of the tenant in particular, rental history, turnover potential, loss of rent during turnover period, "hot" or "cold" market, etc.

Texas and Florida have been hot markets, but with prices peaking, many investors are indeed looking for the next high-potential areas.