I have financed a number of STR properties and they will usually be appraised as a pure real estate as vacant value and a cash flow adjusted commercial value, sometime separated as going concern and real property.  

@Patrick Pan, if I was operating in a state where that was a concern I would just contact their current landlord for a reference.

:In the indictment, it said that an OP employee, directed by Bert Whalen, posed as a customer on or about 1/6/18 saying OP satisfied all of their concerns about their property.

Both of these are legitimate concerns.

One concern that I have is that I need to be able to sustain this during a downturn.

Rehab is nice so I don't think that will be a concern, this is also off street parking so ones with garage will be favored more if you are priced the same. 

I'm definitely still looking at it, but one concern is the population growth, it seems to be decreasing slightly? 

The tenant is understandably frustrated and has mentioned safety concerns due to slipping hazards caused by the water.

This discrepancy has left me confused—should I be concerned about this?

The advice is downright bad; not applicable to the average Billy & Barbara, some signs of bragging among other concerns.