The year round demand with two peaks (ski season and lake / beach season) combined with a lower regulation threat make them pretty good places to own an STR.

Why can't you start with some smaller residential or small multifamily commercial properties to get your feet wet, show proof of concept and possibly try to take on larger deals.Or possibly find a local syndication group and become an employee under them learning the trade and finding a mentor in the space.

A record 65% of new single-family detached homes sold in 2023 were built on lots under 9,000 square feet, per the latest Survey of Construction (SOC).

I do 12-month leases all year round and it actually produces more income.

(see photos)There is a floor drain on the other side of the 2x6 wall(about 10 feet). so i would just need to tie it into this I am budgeting 20K for a brand new plumbing system for the whole house already since there is not anything in the house currently.The basement floor is already ripped out and down to dirt.

So now you worry about his ability to finish, so you want to make sure you write up something to hold his feet to the fire.

For instance, the Poconos have remained a popular option because of its year-round tourism draw, with skiing and lodging in the winter, hiking in the fall, and camping around lakes in the summer.As others have said, going into markets with one draw is risky.

GO TO REDFIN,  SEARCH YOUR FAVORITE ZIP CODELOOK UP WHATEVER PROPERTY TYPE YOU WANT AND GO TO "SOLD" PROPERTIES WITHIN THE PAST 3 MONTHS ONLY OR EARLIER GO DOWN THE PAGE AND CLICK "DOWNLOAD ALL"IT WILL THEN PROMPT YOU TO OPEN AN EXCEL DOC- OPEN IT-FROM THERE FILTER THE PROPERTY PRICE LARGEST TO SMALLESTFIND THE AVERAGE PRICE BY HIGHLIGHTING THE ENTIRE "LIST PRICE" COLUMN OF THE SOLD PROPERTY SPREADSHEETAFTER CLICKING THE "AVERAGE" FUNCTION, YOU WILL BE GIVEN A DOLLAR AMOUNT- (BOLD THAT FIGURE) THEN GO TO THE SQUARE FEET COLUMN  AND DO THE SAME- FIND THE AVERAGE SQUARE FOOTAGE - THEN CLICK "AVERAGE" HIGHLIGHT THAT FIGURE TOODIVIDE THE AVERAGE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF ALL THE PROPERTIES SOLD WITHIN MAX 3 MONTHS FROM THE AVERAGE FIGURED SQUARE FOOTAGE TO GET YOUR MEDIAN PRICE PER SQUARE FOOTYOU WILL USE THIS FIGURE TO DETERMINE IF A PROPERTY WITHIN YOUR PREFERRED AREA CODE IS DEEPLY DISCOUNTEDTHEN, YOU WILL GO BACK TO REDFIN AND CHANGE THE SOLD TO ACTIVE AND DO ALL THE FILTERS PER YOUR PREFERENCE- "PUT IN KEYWORD AREA- "TLC" "CASH PURCHASE" , "NO FHA" AND "UNINSURED" AS WELL AS HAD A PRICE REDUCTION - EITHER MUTLTIPLE OR AT SOME POINT WHILE IT WAS LISTED HAS A REDUCTION (THIS USUALLY MEANS SELLER HAD HIS LISTING AGENT REDUCE PRICE BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SELL QUICKLY- ) SO IF A PROPERTY YOU FIND (AND THERE ARE A LOT) HAVE HAD 3 REDUCTIONS IN PRICE AND HAS BEEN LISTED FOR AWHILE...

The time was right so I jumped in and got my feet wet!

Fannie Mae's guidelines verbatim are as follows:Must be occupied by the borrower for some portion of the yearMust be suitable for year round occupancyBorrower must have exclusive control over the propertyMust not be rental property or a timeshare arrangement (this has the following disclaimer in the guidelines:  If the lender identifies rental income from the property, the loan is eligible for delivery as a second home as long as the income is not used for qualifying purposes, and all other requirements for second homes are met (including the occupancy requirement above).Cannot be subject to any agreements that give a management firm control over the OCCUPANCY of the propertyThis means that as long as you intend to occupy the property some portion of the year, you could absolutely rent it while you are not using it.