I've narrowed down the best return for my money in this market to a 2 bed/2 bath (with top tier amenities) - about 500 total 2/2 listings.I'm finding myself a bit stuck when analyzing why certain properties are making so much higher than the average listings when they seem to have very similar locations, amenities, style, flow of home, beds/# of people they sleep, reviews, number of reviews, etc.

Quote from @Devin James: Gross Margin is an important calculation for developers/builders.Gross Margin = Gross Profit / RevenueWe shoot for a 20% gross margin on our New Construction HomesReal #’s:Home Sales Price: $374KClosing Cost: $18,700Cost of Construction: $258KLand Cost: $30KGross Profit = $67K$67K/$374K = 17.9% Gross MarginCame slightly short of our goal of 20%Homes Values and Build Costs are constantly fluctuatingI wish we had a crystal ball build larger homes. average new build in our market is 2200 square feet, 4 beds, 3 baths, 2 car garage and sells for 515k. construction costs lower if design is good and find the median or average home sale price and push that up. my guess is you built too small. 347k is cheap. we target 429-479k price range in columbus ohio for single family homes and also only purchase close to urban core where premiums are 20% higher and we build smaller like 1500 sq ft where price per square foot goes up. 

Fairmont is a good little market!

Pushing into other, close-by, markets is the best (and maybe only) way to make it work.

When you charge under market rent, the IRS deems that you do not have a profit motive and, therefore, disallows all rental expenses. 

While I do maintain a relatively modest percentage of my assets in money market instruments, corporate debt funds, and high dividend stocks, I remain most comfortable with the investments I specialize in and know best.  

Even better, I might be able to snag it well under market value since it's an estate sale that's been sitting on the market for nearly 200 days.Here’s the challenge: while I could afford to purchase the property under market value, I’d be stretching my budget thin to cover the mortgage during the period I’d be remodeling the basement to make it rentable.

You really can't get a better snapshot of the Cleveland investment market right now. 

Obviously you jam it all in the stock market for 11%.

Start by analyzing cash flow and market demand for each property to decide which one to rent out.