Full disclosure: I operate a turnkey provider in Alabama and, from my observation, plenty of areas in the state are positioned well for cash flow, including Birmingham, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa.One thing I would like to point out is that short-term rentals are time-consuming and, unless you have a customer service and on-demand cleaning team built up, it’s fairly difficult to scale.

I am with Doug on this one  move up market semi custom works well for us.ivyridgeestatescanby.com is my current 90 home project  started a few years ago with beginning prices at 550 to 650  we are at the tail end and we are basically 675k to 1 mil . 2k to 2500sq ft . the reason we did well is our competition is reginal or national builders at 100k or more less than us for same sq ft.. but no where near teh quaity and they would not allow customization other than the 3 choices of finishs no substitution we allowed folks to go wild and of course we charged for it.. so we got 20 to 100k in uprades on top of it with 100% mark up on upgrades ..  

I stepped back when things got heated, but since you're the original poster, I wanted to respond directly with a more grounded perspective.This issue isn't about cultural customs or personal quirks, as some suggested.

Our property was owner-used for the last 40 years and therefore has no rental history or pre-existing customers.

Success hinges on one's ability to craft exceptional guest experiences, market properties, and implement systems for cleanliness and customer service.Despite the skepticism surrounding "course gurus," I would suggest considering a reputable course, particularly if pursuing the arbitrage route.

My only complaints with their customer service are 1.

Big red flag for me with them is that they don't pull Credit Scores because for some reason they have to treat everyone the same and some of their customers don't want credit pulled.

Every project I've read about, the parking is separate for renters and customers.

We have had several customers smoke in our non-smoking units and to deodorize and clean cost $850.

There might be something else pulling at this customer base, such as a newer apartment complex that may offer some amenities like a weight room or something or in unit washer and dryers.