This is a very interesting question in deed....If you check out the book "Irrational Predictability" they have a very interesting case study on a subject similar to this one.Their findings were that if you decide to compensate someone partially for works they have voluntarily done then you cheapen the the entire scenario and actually leave the person being compensated more agitated than if you didn't compensate them at all.....Reason being when they do something voluntarily they get their pay from "Feeling good about doing something"....But when you introduce payment to the scenario instead of feeling good about doing something nice....They compare the pittance that you are offering to what they would normally be paid....and that serves as an insult....My suggestion would be to send him a note of appreciation with a gift card to an area restaurant....This allows him to know that you really appreciate his help and it doesn't set up a scenario of comparison to his normal fees.Eric Medemar

Remember that time we got Mexican food?

They are built for this with full blown amenities (lazy rivers, restaurants, game rooms, clubhouses etc).7.

The property would be mostly used for short term rentals, and I'd stay there during vacant periods.Here's my question: Is it better to buy an upscale townhouse that is near shopping and restaurants in a higher density area (about 3 miles from the ocean), or a more modest townhouse of the same type (3/2) that is in a sparsely populated area but is within walking distance of the ocean (not a beach, just shoreline).Both properties are new construction that allow STR.

We've really loved being close to everything: (covid aside) downtown with all the breweries and restaurants, just a few minutes away from hiking trails and a "secret" waterfall, 30 minutes to Seattle via fast ferry etc. 

PA realtor and Pittsburgh STR host with rentals in downtown next to the PPG, North sector, Mexican War Streets, Allegheny, stretching to Lawrenceville.All good locations, as are those that you had mentioned.  

@Trecia BenjaminThere are so many - this is like saying your trying to find a favorite restaurant.

I've used Tripadvisor a lot in the past but only for looking up reviews on hotels/resorts, restaurants, etc.

I also had a challenging life growing up - at 5 years old I was given to a wonderful family to raise me, my mother always worked (as a dancer on the Block in Baltimore) and had no time for me.At 12 years old I would ride the streetcars in Baltimore (Greenmount Avenue to North Avenue) selling newspapers, worked on a golf course carrying heavy golf bags and as a delivery boy for a restaurant during breakfast and lunch delivering food and washing dishes in the afternoon.

There is a main street with restaurants within 2 blocks.