My guess is that not only are they going to be worried about future occupancy you can't prove yet, but they're also going to worry about the unstable regulatory environment we're currently in with regards to short-term rentals.

We need to keep income trending also, and the environment has allowed us to do that (renter nation, higher cost to buy homes, etc).When we get pushback and can't raise at the higher rate, then it's time to pivotHappy New YearGino

That said, there are always buying opportunities in all market segments and paying all cash in what is still a historically low interest rate environment overall doesn't make the most sense to me either. 

Being a RE agent/investor/owner broker/ NPN: Pros: Having your own business, strong sense of accomplishment, being able to go whatever direction you want, freedom, getting to know the business from the retail end.Cons: Easy to get off track, inconsistent cash flow, must be super driven, long hours.Banking (Commercial Loan servicing/Bond markets)Pros: Weekly paycheck, lots of folks to learn from, good business models to learn from, intimate knowledge of how the entire process works from the bank side.Cons: 2 weeks vacation per year, co-workers, bad bosses, limiting environments. 

Does that sound like an environment you would like to work in?

One thing I would be aware of is if your tenant has a hyper allergy or similar reaction to mold, even mold remediation is not going to create an environment mold free enough for them.  

If that's your REI strategy, good luck as it's just like the problems with HOAs - - the environment can change over night and there's just no defense.

I am seeing 'investors' picking up homes in my neighborhood to rent out and this is in a rising interest rate environment.  

You will probably have to involve- architect, and environment verification consultation etc,..

The retail environment is definitely more "service oriented" at least if you want to attract non-box/corporate tenants.