Michigan Vacation home/STR

[Arvin Chan]

Hello, I am new here. I live in Indiana bordering Chicago. I am looking for my first investment in a vacation home that I can turn into a STR when I am not using it. Originally I decided on an area near the smoky mountains, but real estate near that area is so expensive and it's a very long drive. So I decided to look to my northern neighbor Michigan. I hear great things about Michigan from family and friends. I went through old posts on this website in my research, and cities such as Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Saugatuck...etc were mentioned. Saugatuck seems on the more expensive side. In a vacation home, I am looking for access to streams and rivers cause I love fishing, I also want to be somewhere in a less crowded area but close to amenities with a car. I have also been using my limited access to airdna to acquire info. But I am still clueless on location, I am looking for properties preferably under 300k. Any comments and ideas will be appreciated. Thanks for your time.

[Jon Martin]

@Ross Stuart I have no experience on the investment or management side with northern Michigan, only as a vacationer who grew up in SE Michigan and traveled up there every summer. In general Lake MI is very pricey, so I think that the inland lakes could be a good play, although some of them can be pretty expensive as well. The hot spots are incredibly busy during the traditional summer months but don't expect much between October and April. Maybe some hunters or snowmobilers but don't expect to do much more than break even (at best) during that time.