I live in Asheville and am looking at STR in the Franklin area - agree with other posters that it's sort of between more desirable destinations, but also seems that the lower prices reflect that.

have strong desire to venture in real estate and have read books about real estate and the book I'm currently reading directed me to get more insights from here!

Ask questions to find out about their reasons for selling, desired next steps (i.e. relocation, 1031 exchange, etc.), and anything else that is important to them.Ask follow-up questions to dig deeper and learn more (without being too intrusive) then jot down any relevant notes so that you can reference them down the line during your follow-up calls.

Once you've identified what's important and what ratios to look for to evaluate a property, all future deals should be weighted against those "good" ratios/numbers - and periodically adjust to suit your goals.

Here's another one:  Went to a Tax Sale where there was a "vacant" lot for sale of about 1 acre in a desirable suburban area. 

Sadly, it seems that cash flow on long term rentals with 20% down just does not exist in most desirable locations.

With my desired duration of paying them for 15 years, The investor earns their money back, plus an ROI of $45,860.

If you are looking to just calculate profitability, set how much profit you want to make then:ARV - Purchase Costs - Holding Costs - Selling Costs - Desired Profit - Rehab Budget (including contingency) = Maximum Allowable OfferIF you cannot calculate those numbers, a spreadsheet isn't going to help you. 

I still have a huge desire to own a place in Mazatlan Mexico.

Leave the less desirable ones as a backup to contact if this prospect does not work out.