Utah County has the best new construction options in the state when it comes to real estate investing.I own properties in Utah, Salt Lake, Wasatch, Sanpete, Millard, and Sevier counties.

It's eating away every bit of cash flow from the property and then some.Both units currently have baseboard heating - which I've heard can be on the more expensive side of heating options - but I'm not sure if this amount is realistic for the area, or if there is a better heating option that I should look into for a reasonable cost.

If you cannot live in one then talking to a lender would be good for other options. 

Any of the second tier large cities like Greensboro, Winston Salem, Asheville, Wilmington, and the surrounding areas will have plenty of options.

The planning staff should be able to walk you through any options for zoning changes or variances if there's a way to make short-term rentals work in your case.

It would cost a lot to get the planning approval and do a complete renovation of the 2 units.Can anyone suggest what would be my options at this point?

Since the mortgage rates have been higher than previous years and the inventory has been lower I'd recommend looking into multi family options that are currently cash flowing in areas that values are increasing.

However, we will likely need a property manager to assist with some facets of running this rental (since we would not live locally) and would primarily market it through platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO to start, (eventually setting up a direct booking process).Here's our question for those who have experience in STR's or who might be involved in a similar scenario: How challenging is it to meet the material participation hours needed to achieve active status?

Also, I've always wondered why arbitragers don't negotiate an option to buy upfront?

It would be our preference to invest in upstate NY because we could drive there relatively easily, but if there are better deals elsewhere, we would be more inclined to go with option (1).Hi Bethany, if you're investing in NY, unfortunately the price range is crazy high and you won't find any cash flow.