A few grand in insurance would have saved the property owner several hundred thousand dollars.

You might be better off searching for RGV or Rio Grande Valley investors

The grand majority of towns wouldn't be impacted by that, and many areas would fall within county jurisdiction, and counties tend to be quite flexible and non-restrictive toward STR's- for example parts of Greater Sedona and Greater Cottonwood. 

My first SFR in the DFW area (Grand Prairie) was in a good school district with almost no rentals.

Here to introduce myself! I'm a REALTOR® with Remax Platinum in the RGV. I have 6 years in the business and serve on the board of our local realtor association. Currently focusing on bringing in new investors into our...

I really am not excited about moving to the condo for 2 years (miss my kids/grand-kids in the midwest).

All the while you're picking up a few grand tax free in rental income with very little out of pocket (5k to 10k).To me, thats investing. 

If that means our rental stays open because tenants cant move in, or on a flip that we lose a week or two because other contractors cant get in, then in that case it cost us a couple grand to paint in holding costs or missed rent.  

Hi Amber - there are some key determinants to increased revenue here on the Grand Strand.  1) an elevator if greater than two stories, 2) proximity to the beach, 3) a pool, and 4) a jacuzzi or spa.  

We'll be moving back to CA - and in the grand scheme of things, housing will be much more expensive there and most likely a larger barrier of entry $ wise if I were wanting to house hack.