I’m a recent college graduate and investor from Ohio looking to expand into STR in the Smoky Mountains and would love to connect with others who are looking to buy their first property in that area.

People considering it anything near or resembling "inner city" (throw in a 40 minute drive down the E-way through about 3 colleges, 14 Best Buys, 4 Malls and 6 TGIF's) a ghetto property seems odd to me.

Festivals, college graduation, fishing tournaments etc.I adjust my price through out the year based on demand, events, and time of year.I have accounts at Homeaway (also searchable on VRBO) and AirBnB.Homeaway and VRBO blows away the bookings I get on AirBnB for vacation rentals so I would use the data from here primarily.You can also check local Craigslist ads  for properties similar to yours to see what their pricing is.Also look at their requirements for security deposits, pet fees and cleaning fees to she what you should be charging for these also.Once I started getting reviews on Homeaway my calendar started staying full.I charged on the low end to get more reservations in the begging and once I had several 5 star reviews then I started charging on the high side.

Also, I would recommend Mark Manson's book on the subject "The Subtle Art of not giving a F***"" I will also note that I have severe ADD so I will not be proofreading what I just wrote- This is not college.

I'm stronger and faster than I was in college, and I'm pushing 35.  

For instance, many of the HOAs in my area do not allow renting to college students (I am in a college town) and do not allow STRs.

Hypothetically speaking, the IL locations I chose are near the University, I am very familiar with leasing by the bed space/student housing, therefore my primary focus there would be to target college families that come in to town for their students for graduation purposes, sporting events, etc.

I personally like investing near colleges because I like having a revolving student population for tenants. 

I love investing in houses for college students with the growth of USI, UE, and IU 

Most of my properties are in areas with young professionals, college students (commuters to UWM or Marquette students), and "hipsters."