Considering the ever-evolving landscape of Short-Term Rental (STR) regulations, What are the best 5 states in your opinion to build a STR portfolio starting today? 

Added some sweat equity to it as well with new paint, landscaping and other projects.

I would definitely recommend spending most of the money in renovations on the kitchen, bathroom, and exterior (siding, paint, landscape). 

Statistics available from BizBuySell state that 80% of businesses for sale never sell.  

In addition to checking out local crime statistics via county and city websites, you may want to check out this website: https://crimegrade.org/. 

As is price point.. this will give you a better long term outcome.if you buy way under median your getting into renter dominated neighborhoods and schools for sure will be bottom ranked.. instead of going East have you considered Vegas.. lowest prop tax's basically in the country. no big weather issues  desert landscape super simple to take care of.. and Stucco homes with tile roofs no big thunder and wind storms to ruin roofs etc etc.. you can buy nice rental house there is a solid B location for about 300k. just worth checking out if you never have..

In a 4 bedroom house we rent out in a nice area of Los Angeles a renter said he would re-landscape the backyard for just the cost of material.

black top the driveway and trim the existing landscaping and paint the exterior and it will look great 

Look for well-documented processes and continuous improvement evidence to identify potential bottlenecks.Market and Demand AnalysisUnderstand market conditions and future demand projections by analyzing market size, growth trends, and competitive landscape.

Here are some statistics to share -