It definitely can help add time back into your life and they can be a great source of information on vacancy rates, current market rent rates, etc. 

Be sure to meet your statutory requirements for making a claim on the deposit, including, e.g., certify mail to last known address, meeting the specificity requirement on the notice of claim, mailing within the timeframe provided by statute. 

A lot of opportunities to buy aged C-class homes at 8, 9, 10 caps.Small investor expense ratios are 40%.Large operator expense ratios are 37/38 %.Large platforms/institution expense ratios are 33/34%Big benefit of blanket insurance policies is to drive costs down.A lot of BFR is looking for a bridge product for 2 years to hope rates get back down in the 5% range.Cannot use HPA on BFR communities you plan on selling based on cash flow.5-18% rental premium being achieved based on new construction communities compared to new construction scatter sites.For real time comps go to biggest operators BFR, small multifamily.More confidence about the cost of construction having stabilized.Some products which will not be good for retail buyers will also not be good for rentals.

My mortgage interest rate is 3%.

With interest rates so high right now and property values up so much in recent years this would certainly help us when looking. 

I was at a local meet-up last evening and one of the folks recently purchased a list.

It is a great place to meet new friends and learn about various aspects of real estate and more.Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersWishing you the best!

There's a lot of research you could do on VRBO/AirBNB/AirDNA to compare similar properties in terms of rates and occupancy, but my experience is that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are more popular because of the nearby amenities, nightlight, recreation, and other things to do. 

This can reduce occupancy and reduce the average nightly rate (as compared to a higher nightly rate and lower cleaning fee). 

We're looking at buying an STR to self-manage but with rates and prices where they are, the cash flow projections are dismal.