Another Sweet spot is a small building or ground floor condo on main street usa with a ton of foot traffic.

You’re spot on, house hacking nearly always looks worse on the property’s cash flow because you’re removing one income stream.

Of course, houses like these are prime spots for human and drug trafficking, prostitution, sex parties, and so on. 

If a spot three hours away checks those boxes and the numbers make sense, distance alone shouldn’t stop you.

Most deals there are A/B class and already stabilized, so hitting 6–8% cash-on-cash is tough unless you find something undervalued and buy with personal cash (no loan, no fees, no interest).If you're open to more value, check out spots like Franklinton or Driving Park, still close to the action but better return potential.

And your reminder about not mixing SFR, multifamily, and STR skill sets is spot on — I’ve seen the difference firsthand.I’m starting with referrals just like you suggested, and your framework around vacancy management, turns, pre-leasing, screening, and delinquency is exactly the kind of structure I needed for my conversations.Since you’re local and have experience with a big portfolio, do you have any PMs you personally recommend who are strong specifically in the Smyrna / Cobb County area?

The slowing pace has actually created a sweet spot for strategic investors who have funding flexibility.

Great tool in the right spot, headache in the wrong one.4.

Shortlist three agents/PMs, have each walk one live listing to earn the spot, analyze five deals a week, and aim to close one clean, repeatable win before you scale.

And yes, you’re spot on about wall art — size and proportion make a huge difference in how the room feels.We also learned early on that investing in decent cookware saves a lot of headaches down the road — it lasts longer and keeps guests happy.