John, not sure if you are familiar with the current STR situation in Huntsville, but the city has shut down STRs that are not zoned correctly and also not permitted. 

Drop by your municipality's building, permit, and zoning office. 

The non-permitted unit is causing some troubles in getting this deal to move forward. 

I'll give the county a call to see what they can share on the permit count.

Also, streamlining the permitting process could speed things up even more.

When deciding between them, looks for flexible memberships, no high-volume minimum, and customer service to help walk you through the process.

I'm wondering if the same lenders who financing STR's would consider Padspits.You may want to check this, but I would imagine that renting via Padsplit would be considered as a STR which have been highly restricted in the city of New Orleans, and the only way you can get a permit recently is to also live in the property.

So, investing in a market you don't know is like saying: I am going to open a retail business without knowing what product you will sell, how to source the product, or who your customer is and what drives them to purchase.  

Call the customer retention department at a credit card company you already have a credit card with.

Verify the zoning laws and any required permits to ensure the property is suitable for your intended use.