Even with steady tourism across the country this summer, there were lower occupancy rates in some of the beach markets simply due to the amount of STRs that were available.

I am starting to grasp why a seller would do it (tax advantages, steady money flow, low risk, etc), but aside from Zillow and Craigslist, a lot of deals are said to be on the MLS.At the risk of sounding obnoxious, why wouldn't real estate agents simply keep these deals for themselves if they are lucrative and require a low entry point in terms of capital?

I can also connect you with a steady drip of properties that are available and/or recently sold so that you can keep comparing what our market is doing vs others that you're considering.

Climate migration is another driver, fresh water and a stable climate with moderate temperatures are on more and more people's mind.

So, simply holding a turnkey property for X number of years is no guarantee of wealth--it depends on the property, and its market.Regardless of whether the property appreciates, depreciates or holds steady, cashflow is still crucially important because it reduces the risk of losing the property.

The fact you are in Florida with a much higher ground water temperature makes it a no brainer.

@Peter Vekselman most real estate investing in general especially in single family homes, is going to be more of that long term safe steady investment play.

The main benefit to investing in these markets is steady annual appreciation and steady demand for housing.

We (wife and I) own short and mid term rentals and have been at it for 3-4 years on the slow and steady wins the race path - buying a property every 12-18 months. 

The firm believes that such renters are more likely to be long-term tenants, which means lower turnover costs and steady cash flow.