Often times you might consider cashing in like selling high stocks before a crash, but with inventory and housing scarcity in general, I don't think that's the play. 

At today's rents that's decade(s) of net rental income even when taking into account any potential increases.Rents however would get $3k/mo on the high end, and more realistically around $2.6k/mo.

You'll want to do your own due diligence as the economic environment is changing, but my experiences have been good with several of these highly experienced and  capable fund operators.

:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+, zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680, some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

I live in BC in the lower mainland, which this market is priced extremely high so I am looking to invest out of province, specifically in Alberta.

Dollar General and Dollar Tree have been building ~1,000 stores each in the U.S. each year for over a decade, and I've read people on the forums who have pursued strategies for building and leasing specifically to these players at a high volume.How is this rate of new builds sustainable, and how can we determine the point of saturation, when the pipeline ends?

That being said, booking.com had a high occurrence of fraud so we no longer use them.

Is it worth investing in Manhattan given the high property values, tenant-friendly laws, and rent stabilization?

I highly recommend you get some help from a local investor or agent to help guide you through the process since this all new to you.

Basic your business model on short-term rental income is risky in that, over the 30 years, regulations can and do change (not to mention oversaturation resulting from the high interest rates pushing investors to rent short-term to try to get any sort of cash flow).We have the same situation in Canada (less the 30-year mortgages) and that's one of the main reasons, aside from profitability, why I invest overseas like in places like Mexico where there is unlikely to be regulations anytime soon, neither at the governmental nor at the HOA level.