Newbie investor looking to buy first property
Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 4 votes
Newbie investor looking to buy first property
Most Popular Reply
Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
8moQuote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
Dhaval
Right off the bat, nearly all of the jurisdictions in the DC metro area limit the amount of days per year you can do short term rentals. The only one that doesnt limit the days is the City of Alexandria...not to be confused with Alexandria Fairfax County.
Long term rentals you can do everywhere in the area.
District Invest Group545 Reviews
13 Replies
- Real Estate Broker · Atlanta · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 607 votes8mo
Dhaval, welcome to the BP community. Since you are a busy medical professional, I would strongly recommend building your team first. Find an experienced investor-friendly agent, lender and property manager before buying anything. In the DMV/Northern VA area, numbers can be tight, so be very clear on your investment criteria and cash flow expectations before choosing LTR vs. STR.
If you invest locally, your advantage is oversight but just make sure the numbers make sense. If you can't find any properties that meet your criteria locally and consider expanding out of state, Atlanta, GA is a strong market to evaluate. I am a Real Estate Broker, Loan Originator and Property Manager here and would be happy to help.
- Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes8mo
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
DhavalRight off the bat, nearly all of the jurisdictions in the DC metro area limit the amount of days per year you can do short term rentals. The only one that doesnt limit the days is the City of Alexandria...not to be confused with Alexandria Fairfax County.
Long term rentals you can do everywhere in the area.
District Invest Group545 Reviews - Realtor · Arlington, VA · Member since 2021 · 42 posts · 35 votes8mo
Welcome to BP, Dhaval! NoVa real estate can be tough to first enter, but once purchased as a buy and hold, it's great! Purchases that may feel harder now will look excellent 5-10 years in the future. One of the best ways to start here is to househack, and you can potentially rent out a portion of the house on a short term or midterm basis. You'll often find that many of us fall into the MTR space to make numbers pencil.
- Real Estate Agent · Washington, DC · Member since 2025 · 157 posts · 77 votes8mo
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
DhavalBeing that your a medical professional and not much time on your hands I'd recommend LTR. Once you get a tenant into the home you can have it on auto pilot. If you do a STR you'll have a lot of turn over throughout the year and that can lead to more headaches plus worries on when it'll be rented again.
Quote from @Brendan Mullenholz:
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
DhavalBeing that your a medical professional and not much time on your hands I'd recommend LTR. Once you get a tenant into the home you can have it on auto pilot. If you do a STR you'll have a lot of turn over throughout the year and that can lead to more headaches plus worries on when it'll be rented again.
Definitely agree with Brendan here. Turnover is the most time consuming part of rentals. Maybe others would have more helpful input on this aspect — but I've always held off on STR since a turnover team seems like a difficult thing to put together. You never know when you'll have a turnover, so scheduling a team to handle it seems very difficult unless you have a full time person, and with one rental that wouldn't be possible. I'd love to try STR on one of my units but I don't have time for the turnovers. I wonder if anyone here has solved this issue in a way other than doing it yourself?
- 7moChristine LeonardBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Annapolis, MD · Member since 2026 · 16 posts · 4 votesHi - we own 2 STRs and I manage 2 others. Reliable cleaners are essential to success and I was grateful to earn Superhost status on Airbnb a few years ago - and (so far) maintain it. A key factor for us has been using Turno for our own 2 STRs because they are 3 hours from where we live. I manage the other STRs locally as a co-host and we set up the same system. While there can be bumps, and requires monitoring during the high seasons, it is feasible!
Quote from @Sam Tato:
Quote from @Brendan Mullenholz:
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
DhavalBeing that your a medical professional and not much time on your hands I'd recommend LTR. Once you get a tenant into the home you can have it on auto pilot. If you do a STR you'll have a lot of turn over throughout the year and that can lead to more headaches plus worries on when it'll be rented again.
Definitely agree with Brendan here. Turnover is the most time consuming part of rentals. Maybe others would have more helpful input on this aspect — but I've always held off on STR since a turnover team seems like a difficult thing to put together. You never know when you'll have a turnover, so scheduling a team to handle it seems very difficult unless you have a full time person, and with one rental that wouldn't be possible. I'd love to try STR on one of my units but I don't have time for the turnovers. I wonder if anyone here has solved this issue in a way other than doing it yourself?
- Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 4 votes7mo
Quote from @Christine Leonard:
Hi - we own 2 STRs and I manage 2 others. Reliable cleaners are essential to success and I was grateful to earn Superhost status on Airbnb a few years ago - and (so far) maintain it. A key factor for us has been using Turno for our own 2 STRs because they are 3 hours from where we live. I manage the other STRs locally as a co-host and we set up the same system. While there can be bumps, and requires monitoring during the high seasons, it is feasible!Quote from @Sam Tato:
Quote from @Brendan Mullenholz:
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
DhavalBeing that your a medical professional and not much time on your hands I'd recommend LTR. Once you get a tenant into the home you can have it on auto pilot. If you do a STR you'll have a lot of turn over throughout the year and that can lead to more headaches plus worries on when it'll be rented again.
Definitely agree with Brendan here. Turnover is the most time consuming part of rentals. Maybe others would have more helpful input on this aspect — but I've always held off on STR since a turnover team seems like a difficult thing to put together. You never know when you'll have a turnover, so scheduling a team to handle it seems very difficult unless you have a full time person, and with one rental that wouldn't be possible. I'd love to try STR on one of my units but I don't have time for the turnovers. I wonder if anyone here has solved this issue in a way other than doing it yourself?
Appreciate all of your inputs. Lots of great insights from many people. I am interested in purchasing STR for 2 main reason. Help offset taxes from my current income through STR loophole. Especially this year. And 2nd reason is to of course build wealth and diversify assets.
I know about 100 hour plus most time spent on property thsn any other person to qualify for STR loophole. That maynot be feasible on out of state properties - 7moChristine LeonardBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Annapolis, MD · Member since 2026 · 16 posts · 4 votes
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Quote from @Christine Leonard:
Hi - we own 2 STRs and I manage 2 others. Reliable cleaners are essential to success and I was grateful to earn Superhost status on Airbnb a few years ago - and (so far) maintain it. A key factor for us has been using Turno for our own 2 STRs because they are 3 hours from where we live. I manage the other STRs locally as a co-host and we set up the same system. While there can be bumps, and requires monitoring during the high seasons, it is feasible!Quote from @Sam Tato:
Quote from @Brendan Mullenholz:
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
DhavalBeing that your a medical professional and not much time on your hands I'd recommend LTR. Once you get a tenant into the home you can have it on auto pilot. If you do a STR you'll have a lot of turn over throughout the year and that can lead to more headaches plus worries on when it'll be rented again.
Definitely agree with Brendan here. Turnover is the most time consuming part of rentals. Maybe others would have more helpful input on this aspect — but I've always held off on STR since a turnover team seems like a difficult thing to put together. You never know when you'll have a turnover, so scheduling a team to handle it seems very difficult unless you have a full time person, and with one rental that wouldn't be possible. I'd love to try STR on one of my units but I don't have time for the turnovers. I wonder if anyone here has solved this issue in a way other than doing it yourself?
Appreciate all of your inputs. Lots of great insights from many people. I am interested in purchasing STR for 2 main reason. Help offset taxes from my current income through STR loophole. Especially this year. And 2nd reason is to of course build wealth and diversify assets.
I know about 100 hour plus most time spent on property thsn any other person to qualify for STR loophole. That maynot be feasible on out of state propertiesGood question - I would consult with an expert like Mehak Begemann, or another STR tax expert, to get specific advice.
- Lender · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 9 votes7mo
Welcome to the community, Dhaval, and best of luck as you begin this journey! I am a residential investment loan officer and would be more than happy to serve as a resource to provide insight into various lending programs and financing strategies as you progress.
- 7moChristine LeonardBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Annapolis, MD · Member since 2026 · 16 posts · 4 votes
Hi, while values are high in Maryland - appreciation is good too. I'd be happy to connect about the different markets. I've lived all over DC and Northern VA, now based outside of Annapolis.The transactional process may be seem confusing the first time but you're making great choices by reaching out from the beginning to get support from experienced people - you'll learn so much after even the first transaction.
- 7moArman AhmedPro MemberReal Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 956 votes
Quote from @Dhaval Aghera:
Hello friends,
I am new to the forum and looking to invest in the either LTR or STR for long term. I am a busy medical professional hence don't have much time outside of my regular work but very motivated to diversify my income and investments. I would like to stay local therefore looking to get started in DMV, northern VA area for properties. Hopefully i will get to to connect with many of you on this journey.
DhavalYou’re in a great spot, starting with clear goals and steady income, that combo makes investing way less stressful. Staying local in Northern Virginia can work, but between prices and competition, it can be tough to find true cash flow, especially if you’re busy and want something more hands-off. A lot of professionals in your situation look out of state to simpler, lower price Midwest markets where rents make the numbers work, and you can lean on property management so it stays passive. Either way, start small, buy right, and build a team you trust, that’s what really makes this sustainable.
- Investor · Washington D.C. · Member since 2010 · 48 posts · 21 votes7mo
Hey Dhaval,
Welcome to the group! I am in the DMV market as well focusing on MF. It’s a great market for commercial and LTR in my opinion, also maybe consider investing as a LP in some deals now to take advantage of tax benefits, appreciation, and depreciation while building relationships with people currently doing deals
@Christine Leonard
Nice! Looks like Turno could be a solution to the cleaning problem, I'll look into them
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