You can require area rugs upstairs if the hard surface floor is carrying noise.

We have had people burn a large portion of a living room rug, smash televisions, allow a pet to chew up a dresser in our pet free home, and puncture holes on the inside of the refrigerator.

Yes, we live in the sticks, and yes I have to drive an hour to get my iPhone fixed, but old growth redwoods are just down the road, the rugged coastline an hour away, the produce is fresh, the wine is good, the weather is great (okay it gets a bit hot and dry in the summer) and if I feel the need for some urban time, a day trip or weekend trip are easy down to the Bay Area is easy.

Unfortunately, however, we just had a guest with dogs check out after a 4-day stay and the cleaners found fresh dog feces smeared on the hardwood floors, in the rug, and on the linens!!

I reside on south eastside of town which tends to be quieter and family oriented but we've seen some nice appreciation and business growth over the past couple years..

I’m specifically looking for a smaller property management company that is hungry and customer oriented with reasonable fees and good local relationships.

Certainly, however, if I compared that return with stock market returns via a dividend oriented ETF or quality mutual fund over the last few years, the house doesn't seem so great. 

The two factors that draw us in are the tangibility and RE's numbers-orientation. 

It didn’t help that Airbnb pulled the rug out from hosts, lol.

@Edwin F Zhingri - It is good to hear that you are a goal orientated person.