There are good sponsors that have a bad deal but what I have seen typically is the sponsor lacks significant experience - they have experience in marketing and raising money - which is not hard when you are promoting 15%-40% returns that clearly were not achievable on a consistent basis. 

@Tony SpearsYou might want to re-post this and put Columbus GA so people in that market with that keyword can chime in 

Hello, just wondering if anybody would be willing to share their preferred websites to analyze markets for things such as yearly appreciation rates, rent appreciation, days on market, etc.

German,I can see how it might not make sense but my 18+ years in the Banking business has shown me (3) cycles of this very same market.

That is my theory, based on about 1,000 years of the history of real estate law from the Battle of Hastings in 1066 to the American Revolution, to the present.

How much longer are they supposed to be present?

If you want to network or ask specific questions about your local market, go to your local real estate forum and connect with investors from your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/86-local-real-estate-networking5.

What are the best text message marketing apps you recommend?

Particularly situated between growing markets in Montgomery and Birmingham, as I'm sure you've seen.

The right way to market a MTR requires more than just Airbnb bookings.