It came as no surprise when I looked Gatlinburg Falls up on the Better Business Bureau site and found this.  109 complaints posted in the last 36 months!

Personally, I don't like condos- HOAs and surprise special assessments can eat up any potential profits and in most states, they can just change the rules when they want to and decide that LTRs or STRs are no longer allowed. 

Obviously this is way below market, surprisingly there are a lot of below market rents out there. 4 months before the lease expired I informed the tenant in writing that the new rent if they chose to renew would be $750, a $200 a month increase. 

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

Be logical, don't expect the best, and thus allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised if/when rates come down.

And there are some surprisingly affordable places there.Maybe my thinking was that I could constrain my research and 'education' to that specific geography and then apply what I learn to other areas I might consider.

Thats not surprising since there is no electricity or hot water.

To each their one indeed.On another note, I'm surprised about your comment about the cartels, especially since you lived in Mexico and I don't see the connection with real estate investing.

You're better off having none than having one used up roll and a surprised, angry guest in a predicament.

It doesn't completely surprise me that some of houses haven't sold as fast as they could, but it is what it is.