For me I would not be that doom and gloom with an 18 months of global depression as being the most likely outcome.

My main long-term concern is AirBnB, since these kinds hotels compete on price with AirBnB, especially since they don't have a global or nationwide brand name.

The house was a bank owned property and I was able to negotiate the price a bit down from the listing price, I dont think I had any competition at all given the condition of the house and the awkward layout.

You would see a huge increase in competition in ALL aspects of real estate in Montana.

Global cities Documentary

If you were ask me, when is the worst possible time to buy a property to rent I'd say, during a global pandemic. 

It's a pretty competitive market.

Then take that list of companies and send it to other agents and ask if they have any other companies that are not on your list who they feel would give competitive quotes. 

The feasibility of a retail market will greatly depend on the demographics and traffic count and competition.

Depending on the size of the apt: $4800 I would be expecting your competition are the condos with amenities.