Drive around and figure out a few areas you would like to live in with your budget.

The property has 7 acres with a 3/2 main house and a second separate 2/1 house (which also needs renovation) with its own drive.  

This influx of workers will naturally drive demand for housing, retail, and other services in the surrounding areas, especially in smaller towns and cities that haven't seen major growth in decades.

When new construction slows, demand will continue to remain strong, and that is what will drive rents up in 2026 and maybe Q4 (possibly Q3 in some markets) in 2025. 

. :)Anyway, I like your strategy of driving and looking for houses in need of repair and sending handwritten letters and contacting rentals for the reasons you gave.

R&D is like split testing, trial and error is "I'll be damned to spend the time investing in knowledge so let's just hope we survive the guessing". 

You drive and I’ll buy.  

This limited inventory will likely continue to drive prices upward.Sales - Median $/SF by MonthThe $/SF decreased slightly MoM, conforming to the seasonal trend.

Learn to drive a skidsteer and use a chainsaw.  

.- Generally landlord-friendly state, no rent control- Secure government jobs/contracts make the real estate market much more resilient to recessions / major corrections- 15-minute drive to the Capitol of the United States- 4 Seasons- 15-minute drive to Arlington, Virginia (Amazon Headquarters 2 ((2017 announced, 2030 is bringing 25,000 new high-paying    jobs to the area)), Boeing Headquarters (2022), Microsoft Headquarters (2021), CoStar Headquarters (2024), Bloomberg    Headquarters (2017 expanded), Deloitte, and the list goes on)Thesis:Although more companies continue to go back to the office, there will be a shift toward a good amount of workers being able to be in hybrid roles.