I am trying to gauge what the standard in the industry is? 

& buy up STRs in the south bc that’s where the big money is made.Bottom line, to kill it in STR, you need places that will be occupied 10, 11, 12 months a year - not just home football weekends, graduation wknd & maybe a few other wknds.

@Kevin Romero When I was first trying to get my foot in the door of the real estate industry, I found using LinkedIn as one of the best tools out there to network with real estate professionals that opened many doors for me.

I'm 36 years old, single, and renting...My experience in the industry in reverse chronological order:I have been working as a designer and project manager here in Wilmington NC for two years for a very small company. 

My background is in marketing in the engineering/architecture industry for the past 15 years.

We saw Austin's nascent tech industry absolutely explode in recent years to create thousands of jobs, a net influx of 100+ new residents per day, and the creation of a diversified 21st century economy currently supporting an unemployment rate below 3%.

Any agent can open a door, show you a property, and write your offers, but an agent should be able to discuss market demographics, help you run the numbers on properties, and connect you with people through the industry.

I reside in Bloomington Indiana area and have worked in the real estate industry for the past 20 years. 

Maybe as a whole in the entire buy and hold industry 50% is the right average.   

Granted, I've been actively engaged in the commercial real estate industry for 17 years so I know and understand this space well, so for me it's likely easier than for other investors new to all real estate types.That said, there is a reason that many of the investors who've been interviewed on BP, written books, and grown a portfolio often scale or "trade up into commercial" over time, so they can achieve the benefits I mentioned above.