From what I hear, the city is definitely monitoring and shutting down STRs without permits, so make sure you do everything the right way.Also keep in mind that one of the primary draws for Knoxville is the university, so if you get too far from UT it may impact your bookings.If you need any recommendations for agents, contractors, banks or anything else feel free to hit me up. 

If you’re looking for where to land and buy a primary to house hack, it really depends on a few key things that are specific to you: job location, budget, family/schools if applicable, preferences as far as being walking distance to restaurants vs. at the end of a long dirt road with acreage, plains or mountains, hobbies, lifestyle, skiing/snowboarding, rivers, climbing, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, single or married, spirituality (looking at you Crestone) etc.

I would like to see the riverfront left for residential and more retail/restaurant space.

We do really well even in the dead of winter when most other vacation rentals doors can be shut for months at a time. 

Check all of the internal shut off valves.

Like a Restaurant that "nets 70k a year" but of course the owner is the head Chef and works there 100 hours a week without paying himself.  

Prior to that i worked as a server at a restaurant.

The location is near by Lehigh Valley Mall, Supermarket and restaurant, these are walking distance. 

The overall character of the area is definitely a large factor as it will determine the type of tenants living there/demographics: Yoga/Orange Theory studios, Whole Foods, Starbucks, micro breweries, wine and cheese shops, public parks, bike paths, green spaces, public transportation, good schools, nice restaurants, cranes/new construction, low crime rate, high prices all indicate a Class A area whereas boarded up buildings, lots of Payday lenders/check cashing stores, dollar stores, fast food, liquor stores, homeless shelters, army recruiting centers, addiction recovery centers, industrial areas, dumps, shoes hanging from power lines, junked cars lining the streets, high crime, blight, abandoned buildings, urban decay, burnt out buildings, low prices, low rent, etc. would indicate a Class D area.It's really pretty subjective though, I'm not sure there are universally accepted definitions but rather just people's opinions.

That's a little bit like asking "How much is dinner in a restaurant?"