We don't own 100 properties and we didn't need 100 properties to achieve financial independence.

The other big reason is that STRs in the high desert have a certain look and in order to achieve that look, owners typically have to spend more money in reno to get to that STR look and this includes amenities that your average LTR in the high desert is missing such as outdoor showers, hot tubs, etc.

I'm trying to identify rental markets that I can hone in on and research deeply, establish a team on the ground, and do my due diligence properly.I've been combing similar posts on BP and potential areas I'm hearing about in PA include Allentown, Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem, Scranton, and Wilkes Barre.I'm looking for markets with strong rental demand for the foreseeable future, where $100-200 cashflow/unit is possible (with property management), and can reasonably expect some appreciation in the next 10-20 years (2-4% per year would be ideal, though achieving positive cashflow on my first purchase is my #1 focus).

True, you can achieve basically the same amount of interest reduction and save many years of time to debt elimination through both the "send in extra payments" strategy and by having a 1st lien HELOC but having the equity available (considered seasoned) at any given time to jump on a distressed property as well as combining many advance strategies such as offsetting HELOC interest onto 0% CC's, using 401k loans, bonuses, inheritances, letting property taxes, insurance payments, savings, your checking account cash sit in the HELOC to work down its balance until any payment is due is very beneficial.

Getting finance in the US is possible but the rates will be around 6 - 7% and until you have a few properties and a credit rating in the US you will be asked to put down a high deposit, my first was at 50% down, you will also need to work with a broker to achieve this.   

Such home style, year built, sq footage.. honestly find an investor in your area and i'm sure they'd be glad to walk you through how to pull effective comps @Nicholas Weckstein

Basically, Google has changed the rules on what causes a website to be highly ranked in organic searches and they aren't nearly as transparent as they used to be about what helps achieve a high ranking. 

If you already have 2.3M don't waste your time playing with real estate you already have everything you need to achieve your goal, just loan the money out or place it in a moderately conservative mutual fund and watch it grow.

Anyone else receive complaints on the tall ADA style toilet?

After researching other investors and operators, I quickly realized there were others who achieved success despite the fact that they entered the business without significant business and/or financial background.