I'm thinking they make their money on economies of scale, efficiency and marketing. 

The rising economy has lifted everyone.

Maybe by the time, we start to see a decline in the economy and prices are more approachable, you'll have saved enough.

Looking to purchase first property and intrigued with economy of midland.

Economy seems very strong with good ROI returns or am I Really missing something...

Yes you have to compensate for increases like inflation, taxes and insurance then you increase rents to cover; but if not and you want to increase rents based on the conditions of the property then it is HIT or MISSJust because you put granite in doesn’t mean you will get an extra $25 or $50No.All based on your market I’m not calling you greedy I’m just saying be cautious of your market and don’t over leverage it because once you get use to it and then the economy drops (Jacksonville susceptible) rents will go down!

That just means be ready to buy at the down turn in the economy. it's very hard for first timers, but you just need to overcome.

@Max PallattDefinitely a strong economy here though, it’s just a matter of when will the supply catch up

STRs also provide a decent income for families like mine who contribute to the economy here.

Leveraging with the least amount down (and even with PMI when applicable) is worth it 99.9% of the time in this current economy/interest rate environment.