Sherwin Williams Pro Mar 200Flat Antique White (looks like a light tan) as base with Virgin Pure White for trim in satin.we also started doing the baths in 100% pure white satin with trim same color.

Its purely numbers. 

Learn to do the math, read many books on real estate and learn not to make decisions based purely on the advice of friends and professionals.

Live in flip, house hack) has some advantages that makes it a bit easier to acquire vs a pure investment purchase.

Maybe I could have invested earlier and lengthened my payoff to take advantage of better returns, but for me, my path was worth it purely from a mentality standpoint.

Sharon, I'm not based in Iowa City but I am based in Des Moines and just from a pure macroeconomic model, in order to get appreciation in your home I would look to invest along the I-380 corridor and perhaps look into North Liberty as a possible town to invest in or look to the West and the town of Tiffin which is seeing a lot of economic development. 

To get a deal from 100 post cards would be pure luck, not a sustainable business model. 

But I think a good baseline if cashflow is your most important factor (vs appreciation), 7-10% COC and $100-$150 a door in pure cashflow.

Beware that there are some STR regulations in Medellin, one of the most popular cities and they are enforced; there are ways to go around them.As a pure investor, I'd forget the other countries in the region you mentioned.

@Paul Shannon re: the HOA, it will be up to you to decide if this is purely an investment, or is it a trophy?