If it were me I'd be looking at taking advantage of a low down payment owner occupied loan and getting a house hack going in that market. 

If you know you want to get into STRs, find properties in your market or market of interest that are managed by Vacasa and Evolve that are underperforming and have guest feedback indicating the the customer service from the host was poor (as it usually is with the big national STR PMs), look up the owner's name on the county or city tax records, and cold call or text them.

They can hold the lot as collateral and they would get to keep the deposit too if the owner defaults.

Plus there are some great cherries in the Flathead area ;) Welcome to the site!

The USA has very friendly tax laws for property owners but they quickly swing against you if you decide it's time to exit the investment, passing it on to heirs is the way to create that generational wealth so once you commit to it then its a commitment for life in my opinion.

Today, because of inflation, a $250,000 or $500,000 gains of much more than $250,000 or $500,000 are not uncommon, so many people go over, especially in higher-priced markets.”Take the Tests to See if You Qualify for ExclusionsTo qualify for the exclusions, you must satisfy tests that you’ve lived in your house for at least two of the last five years and have owned it for at least two of the last five years, says Jack McGuff IV, owner of McGuff Financial, based in Pearland, Texas.

They rode the wave and built wealth, so they are not interested in owner financing or any other headache.

About a 55% owner occupied ratio.

. : $2,347-Paint, all new doors, plumbing fixtures, drywall work, garbage disposal, carpet, bathtub: $3,934-Labor: $7,976The previous owner did not do any updates to this unit for the last 25 years!

It got more hectic.The properties were listed alphabetically by owner, so sadly for me, the one I really really really wanted was second on the list.