Hey David, I live in the Silver Spring ,MD area but I been looking into investing in the Alexandria area and ideally I was thinking about doing more a hybrid strategy so STR during peak seasons and Mid term to fill up the slow seasons.

Bought our 1st in Mar 2024 (3 bed 2.5 bath 1182 sq ft) and 2nd in Sep 2025. (3 bed 2.5 bath 1384 sq ft)1st is across from Las Vegas High School in Sunrise Manor. 2nd is 5 minutes from Centennial Hills Hospital.1st rents for $1700 and 2nd for $1850.1st one we basically had to evict in Feb 2025 for lack of payment.

These neighborhoods would include Mount Vernon, station north , Charles village , Bolton hill and Resevoir hill( eastern portion) .

Real investors on BP usually have a hill they’ll die on. 

I'm an Electrical contractor doing most my work in Steamboat Springs and Hayden, Colorado.

In some cases it’s a good bet, but in markets like this where there has been negative year over year rent growth the hill is a bit steeper to climb.

Powell presser is up next.https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/28/irs-tax-season-2026.htmlAddison, Allen, Anna, Azle, Batch Springs, Bedford, Benbrook, Burleson, Cedar Hill, Celina, Cleburne, Colleyville, Coppell, Corinth, Crowley, DeSoto, Duncanville, Ennis, Euless, Farmers Branch, Fate, Flower Mound, Forest Hill, Forney, Glenn Heights, Grapevine, Greenville, Haltom City, Highland Village, Hurst, Keller, Lancaster, Little Elm, Mansfield, Midlothian, Mineral Wells, Murphy, North Richland Hills, Prosper, Red Oak, Rockwall, Rowlett, Royse City, Sachse, Saginaw, Seagoville, Southlake, Terrell, The Colony, Trophy Club, University Park, Watauga, Waxahachie, Weatherford, White Settlement, Wylie, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Irving, Garland, Grand Prairie, McKinney, Frisco, Mesquite, Carrollton, Denton, Richardson, Lewisville, or Arlington

Hiring is slow, not frozen.This environment typically supports gradual rate adjustments rather than aggressive moves.What This Means for Mortgage RatesInflation is cooling.Labor data is softening beneath the surface.The Fed remains cautious.Housing affordability is improving.That’s not a crash setup.It’s a stabilization setup.And stabilization is often what allows spring markets to gain traction.What to Watch This WeekFed meeting minutes (Wednesday)Q4 GDP (Friday)December PCE inflation (Friday)Builder confidence + new home sales + pending salesMarkets will be watching closely for confirmation that inflation continues easing.Technical SnapshotMortgage Bonds are testing resistance near 100.38.

While the fundamental drivers of housing affordability remain strained, today’s data and the broader macro tone point to a market that remains surprisingly resilient despite geopolitical uncertainty.Addison, Allen, Anna, Azle, Batch Springs, Bedford, Benbrook, Burleson, Cedar Hill, Celina, Cleburne, Colleyville, Coppell, Corinth, Crowley, DeSoto, Duncanville, Ennis, Euless, Farmers Branch, Fate, Flower Mound, Forest Hill, Forney, Glenn Heights, Grapevine, Greenville, Haltom City, Highland Village, Hurst, Keller, Lancaster, Little Elm, Mansfield, Midlothian, Mineral Wells, Murphy, North Richland Hills, Prosper, Red Oak, Rockwall, Rowlett, Royse City, Sachse, Saginaw, Seagoville, Southlake, Terrell, The Colony, Trophy Club, University Park, Watauga, Waxahachie, Weatherford, White Settlement, Wylie, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Irving, Garland, Grand Prairie, McKinney, Frisco, Mesquite, Carrollton, Denton, Richardson, Lewisville, or Arlington

A lot of markets tend to see a late Jan / early Feb booking surge once people get past the holidays and start locking in spring + summer travel.Sometimes it’s not an algorithm shift as much as:• People finalizing tax refunds• Event calendars getting published• Conferences + university calendars locking in• Hosts adjusting pricing after slower Q4If the spike is across multiple future months, it’s usually demand release rather than a one-week algorithm tweak.Curious did you change pricing, minimum stays, or cancellation policy around Jan 25?