BUT, in my experiences, and I know a few contractors that have a fair number of rentals, the issue in this transition comes from experience running teams. 

The main drawback is limited track record—the sponsors started in 2019 and have less than 10 years of direct real estate experience, with backgrounds in non-RE fields prior.Based on this, my current criteria for sponsors I’d consider investing with are:Focus on 1–2 regionsFocus on one asset classHave 10+ years of direct real estate investing experiencePrimarily dedicated to running investments (vs. running podcasts/courses/events)Appropriate amount of capital raised / projects going on in a given year.My question to the community:Are these the right criteria to evaluate sponsors, or am I missing key factors?

We've run a two-unit short term rental here in Portland for 5 years with success (2025 will be our best year yet), and are interested in obtaining a long term rental or two here locally to get some experience as landlords (slightly less active than running an STR).

Quote from @Royce Running: There is such a wide array of answers on this topic and partnership with GCs and investors.

Hey @Mina Spice, are you wanting to lease to a sober living operator or run the homes yourself?

It seems extremely costly if I were to run separate ductwork and supply and returns for each unit... can someone walk me through how they're making this work.Thanks,Sean

Every landlord eventually runs into the issue of late rent payments.

Thanks in advance 🙏🏾I am not a fan of gurus, mentors, counselors, etc. for money. find a well run, good reputation, current sober living unit and see if you can invest in it.

It's still worth it in the long run to own rentals, it's just more challenging now. 

I’ve spent a good amount of time running numbers and analyzing rent-to-price ratios, but I’m finding the hardest part is actually narrowing down which towns to target.A few things I’m keeping in mind:I like being near water since values usually hold stronger long-term.At the same time, I want to avoid areas with high flood risk.I’m focused on steady, long-term rental demand rather than short-term or vacation rentals.For those of you already investing in the Carolinas:How do you evaluate towns when deciding where to buy?