I'm the owner of a digital marketing company based out of Houston, Texas, that specializes in REI marketing, and now that I've been in business for awhile, I've noticed that Facebook ads are the better route for wholesalers getting started with my company than Google ads for a few reasons.

Lima one is local to you NC based but strong in the Deep south..

You already have a knowledge base in standard rental's, why not solve multiple problems with 1 action?

Especially with most units requiring 3 different paints/colors: walls, ceiling and base/trim/doors.

I would recommend finding a more altruistic source of information before making decisions based on some information provided here and on the podcast in particular. 

If you dream of owning on the Coast be very cautious of regulations against STRs, most communities are not STR friendly and some towns have revoked STR permits (lawsuits galore on that), so talk with an Oregon Coast based agent who KNOWS STRs or you could end up with an investment you can't rent and just have to wait out all the expenses of ownership until the appreciation kicks in.

With Norfolk Naval Base, EVMS and ODU, rentals are always in demand.

Regardless if a price of a property is high, I learned that sellers are humans and they will react and sell a property based on how they feel.

In fact, I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but I've been investing in midwest markets (Memphis and Detroit) since late 2020 and I'd be happy to answer any questions, give advice based on my experience, or connect you with teams I've worked with.

I should have clarified what I mean by “real business”…RE isn’t a business that supports itself immediately like a service based business.