I’d also add that your early days as a first time buyer are a bit stressful because you don’t know who to call for various issues that may pop up with the property.

I always say that the properties that I fully own are 2-3x more stressful than the ones that I co-own... even if I'm the primary operator for both scenarios.

From a tax standpoint, being more involved can also help with tracking expenses cleanly and, in some cases, material participation if that ever becomes relevant to your broader strategy.Using a property manager makes sense if it’s buying you back time and reducing stress, especially if you have a demanding W-2 or live far away.

How volatile can your cash flow be without creating stress?

We could absorb huge revenue decreases on the STRs.By 2012, we started purchasing at a discount.  

I have one tenant paying way above market rent- because it's decreased and either he's unaware or he is fine paying the same.

I cannot stress enough my regret of paying them in the first place. 

It is finishing the deal without stress.

I found it helpful to look at markets across multiple tradeoffs instead of treating any single metric as decisive.As a simple illustration, consider two geographically close Midwest markets — Cincinnati and Columbus — not to declare a winner, but to show how different lenses highlight different strengths.Common heuristics investors tend to reference:Cincinnati: lower median home price, lower typical rent, often meets the 1% rule, moderate historical appreciation.Columbus: higher median home price, higher typical rent, rarely meets the 1% rule, stronger historical appreciation.These signals are useful for understanding entry price and basic cash-flow potential.Signals that surface broader tradeoffs:Cincinnati: higher rent-to-income pressure, more concentrated employment base, slower liquidity (days on market and inventory), lower structural friction.Columbus: more resilient rent-to-income, more diversified employment base, faster liquidity, moderate structural friction.This second view doesn’t predict outcomes or replace deal analysis — it helps explain why similar-looking markets behave differently under stress, growth, or different strategies.All of this is relative, not absolute, and weighting depends entirely on goals (cash flow, appreciation, balance, risk tolerance).

When you requested to stop the process, your file was formally withdrawn, which resulted in a denial notification reflecting that status.We understand this was a stressful situation and regret that the loan option available did not meet your needs.