Been to both, did heavy diligence on both.

If the liens against the previous owner are insignificant then I would prefer to purchase the property from the owner and not have to deal with competition.

Investing now may be worth it, as interest rate cuts in 2025 may increase competition and prices.

Acclimating for at least the manufacturer's recommended time period, temperature and humidity prior to installation is key, as well as keeping the subfloor at the recommended temperature during install and after, sanding down any high spots/leveling the subfloor as much as possible (less than 1/8 in. over. few feet is ideal), leaving a 1/4" gap against the walls for expansion, and limiting the number of heavy objects placed on the floor in one area can help reduce gaps forming after install.

With todays higher interest rates and competition from other investors that drive up distressed housing prices we've hadn't had any luck getting new deals to pencil out.

In fact, now may be the best time of the year to buy properties due to reduced buyer competition and seller motivation (those selling now are probably committed.)

I’m starting with just 1 listing but plan to recruit neighbors in my beach market to list on my custom website tailored to our community / market so I hope to be at 10+ listings soon even though I only own & operate 1 right now.Guesty’s pricing did not appear to be competitive and for someone starting with fewer than 4 units but planning to scale up behind that, Guesty does not offer a migration path from their “for hosts” product to their “for pros” version - it would have been a complete redo on setting everything up.

I can't re-iterate enough how much better data I have actually spending time analyzing my market and understanding my competition. 

Our market is extremely competitive for rentals and homes for sale  so I will be putting an ad on Marketplace, seeking an investor to purchase a property and lease to them, as they can pay up to 2500 for a 4 bedroom, and more for higher number of rooms. win/win. 

Which means they'd rather wait until there is more competition in the market!