Met and spoke with agent, builders spouse.

The issue is that there are pockets of restrictions all around Lake Hamilton so it would pay to have a local agent right away who is familiar with the STR market around there.Hot Springs National Park has around 2m visitors a year so that will be a big draw.Crime is on the higher side vs other areas of the country, but that is pure statistics.

I am a real estate agent who is interested in building my own investment portfolio.I love to help people, and serving is ingrained into my personality. 

@Angela Toy I would reach out to lenders and agents on BP to see how they can help as an easy first step.

As a local investor and agent here in Columbus, let me know if you have any questions or want to connect! 

I'd argue that the returns from RE are generally lower than the stock market This is HIGHLY subjective and CAN BE very far from the truthI looked at the S&P 500 Ticker SPY.It had a price of $148 on January 1 2000It now has a price of $468appreciation is 216% over 24 yeras which is 9% annuallyReal Estate had a average price of $131,539 on Janaury 1, 2000It now has a price of $403,683Appreciation is 206% over 24 years which is 8.6% annuallyHowever, real estate likely has cash flow  / cap rate of around 5% natuionally while the dividend rate for the ETF is around 2%Real Estate = 8.6% + 5% = 13.6%Stocks = 9% + 2% = 11%From 1980 through 2023 the US housing market average annual growth rate was 8.6% - source Federal Reserve Bank of St.Louis House price index for the United States. 

This includes a real estate agent experienced in fix and flips, several reliable contractors (since they can sometimes be overbooked or unreliable), and a real estate attorney.

There's a few VA specific agents here that would be able to give you insight on their process and perhaps you can execute that plan when you land in WA this year. 

Applicants willing to pay higher rents Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Hey Kyle, one of the reasons I became an agent was actually because I wanted to invest in real estate.