My plan is to purchase single family homes/townhomes for long-term rental, and benefit from appreciation over decades.

Well, they may have other properties doing great and need the tax write off... maybe they're expecting great appreciation of the property and will sell it later... maybe rents are rapidly rising and they expect to be cash flow positive in 20 years when they plan to retire anyhow... or after the mortgage is paid off...Who knows?

If you plan on being in the area for awhile it's the best way to become a landlord.

If you're not, make a plan to house hack, and then house hack.2. are you already in touch with lenders? 

If you show them the property and tell them what you plan to do with it they should be able to advise you on what they think it will sell for and how long it will sit on the market.

If you are planning on living on one side of the duplex, you might be able to do the STR for 120 days.

That wouldn't be a problem if we were planning on staying for the next 10 years but eventually, my fiancé and I would like to buy our own private house.One upside is that appreciation is quite strong in the market I'm looking at, however, I don't know if I would want to rely on that.

I took your advice and am planning to attend some REIN events soon to start meeting more local investors!

He advises on the strategic acquisition of properties that show promise for long-term growth, considering factors like location, demographic shifts, and future urban development plans.

If everything goes to plan, we will have our vacation home and first STR up and running by the end of May.