Between a demanding FT job (that I enjoy,) a wife who also works FT, and two young children, I have no real desire to "all in" to real estate as a FT career at this point in my life.

If pets are allowed by the HOA I would strongly recommend you consider allowing pets as more than 50% of travelers travel with their pets and that will make your priority more desirable.

Darrell,Usually when properties sit on the market it's because the property is either overpriced or it's not in a desirable area, were buyers want to buy.

If you aren't doing or pursuing anything unethical or immoral, once you are of age, you should go and pursue whatever you desire. 

@William Coet it’s a different business model altogether.I love highly desirable areas that attract highly skilled high income college educated workforces.They tend to be more liberal and therefore the landlord tenant laws.The percent of their income that goes to rent is typically much less than 20% so a rental increase of 5-10% is nothing to them.They are typically lower cap rate areas and therefore every dollar of net operating income that is earned is explosive to the underlying asset value.

Will using a high yield savings account and your current savings rate get you the capital you need in the timeframe you desire?

The difficulty in finding tenants is determined by the desirability of the location, the property itself, and the amount of rent you're charging relative to other rentals in the area.

Good STR areas are often times desirable places to live as well, so prices tend to be higher in my experience. 

For example, it runs along Germantown which is one of the most desirable places to live in all of Nashville.

**Build Rapport** - **Acknowledge the Seller’s Situation**: Start the conversation by acknowledging the seller's desire to move further out and his long-term ownership of the property.