Most important things in the STR market are: #1) Location - quaint cool desirable town or area, #2) as close as you can buy to the center of this town or area, #3) exceptional house - not necessarially expensive, but cute/funky/quaint/memorable, #4) Clean.

We are both handy (and hire out projects we aren't qualified to do) but are ready to spend a little more and have this piece completely handled.We shopped around property management companies, but all of them seem to have more services than we want - we really enjoy the part of the business centered around locating tenants and fixing up properties (initially and after a vacancy), since part of the reason we do this is to engage with the community and provide more affordable stable housing options to those who don't always get the best treatment from landlords.

One has a urinal and Harley Davidson thing front and center. 

For example, if the current building is “front and center” - as it probably is - then it would be straddling any proposed subdivision dividing line between the two new lots, which wouldn’t work at all.On the other hand, if there is a back street that the new lot would have frontage on instead, then it definitely could work.

Davenport has high rent demand thanks to a lot of blue-collar jobs (Purina is a big one, Amazon is also building a new distribution center) and students (Palmer College - top chiropractic school in the country).

See if your local worship center will allow you to make an appeal, or add you to their business directory.

I want to change it from residential to commercial so it can be turned into a tutoring center.

But here I feel like the conversations all seem to center around growth and striving for massive portfolios and making millions... so I'm just curious what everyone's end goal is in this "game" - and IF you already have a portfolio that covers your living expenses and would allow you to live a good lifestyle without ever buying another property... what is driving you to keep expanding the portfolio and working what is now another "job"??

What is great about this area is the diversity -- medicial, pharmeceutical, aerospace, manufacturing, technology, distribution centers, as well as a recovering sports and convention sector. 

The beginners start at a chair in a bank branch or in a call center with a online presence.