nice job I grew up flipping land I love that play still fund land flippers to this day is a niche of lending that I have carved out.. 

Together, they have a lot of units in play there and have done very well with long-term rents and mid-term as well.

I also believe social media plays a big role in people not really wanting to work, especially with younger folks.

Meeting strangers at a vacant property is always a gamble also.  

The STR, if purely an appreciation play,  is speculation to me. 

Most gulf front investments are mostly appreciation plays unless you do a serious renovation.

It's good to hear that you want to play the long-term hold game as that is how you'll ultimately build equity.  

Playing the long game, it's not for those chasing rainbows, definently for the LT planned methodical focus. 

If you're aiming for growth and can secure a low-interest mortgage, financing might be the better play.

There's a high chance that you are feeling FOMO from the returns in public markets, sell your houses for a loss, pile into stocks, and then see mediocre performance while real estate heads back higher again.I see this, and similar actions, play out over and over.Personally, I'd stick with the real estate rather than selling it.