And the positive reports, ratings and accolades keep rolling in, i.e.: best places to retire, best places for families, etc. 

I would start there to make sure you can STR the place.It doesn't make any sense to rent a single room at a single room rate when there is a whole, empty house involved.

Cypress, TX - a suburb west of Houston with strong proximity to the city and good schools.4.

Their success rate is over  90% I believe.

It just can be tough in the short term with high rates and rents not fully caught up. 

If your son is a student does he get a discount through the school?   

Also, what are you main reasons for looking to STF in Rockford, not knocking the area by any means but there is so much opportunity within the city limits where you're less likely to have extended vacancies.Short term rentals have taken a beating this year, while long term rentals have seen an uptick in what they can charge due to high home prices, and inflated interest rates.

A large part of this was necessity; interest rates of 12% - 18% IF available doesn’t leave much room for profit UNLESS property can be transacted with leverage at a lower rate.

Hello, I'm 17, and In 1 year after I finish high school in Romania, my family and I will move to the USA, we have 100k saved up.

Chances are you will also have higher vacancy rates, higher repairs, and you may have tougher time finding property management.