Birmingham’s rental market has solid returns, especially in neighborhoods like East Lake, Ensley, and parts of Roebuck where investors are still active.Hesitation is normal.

While multiple BuyBoxes sounds good, the challenge is how will an agent search for all the different parameters and everyone keep everything organized?

You're going to run into this in most of the major STR markets because within the last 2 years we have seen a massive spike in available inventory.In order to compete with the competition now, hosts/owners/operators need to step up their game and be willing to invest in good quality furniture, memory foam mattresses, high quality linens, professional seasonal photography, etc.In the high desert, most visitors are looking for peace, quiet, privacy, and amazing scenery so this means stay away from purchasing homes in residential neighborhoods with neighbors on all sides.

“unrelated to the various bugs, the search function would be poor for 2005

If possible, I'd recommend starting with a 3 or 4-family househack... you can occupy the smallest unit to maximize returns.Depending on your down payment amount and forced equity, you may be able to refinance and reinvest in a couple of years and reinvest into another househack.Since New Jersey taxes are a bit higher than Staten Island and the other boroughs, you may want to connect with a local NJ agent who can advise on best areas to search.

Search the county probate court recordsMost probate filings are public.In many counties (including Alabama), you can search online for:the deceased owner’s nameestate filingsopen probate casesIf it’s in probate, you’ll usually see an estate case with a personal representative listed.2.

Just scout the neighborhoods.

I am always hesitant on build to rent neighborhoods. 

My goal is to purchase a duplex in a solid A/B neighborhood to operate as a mid-term rental (MTR).I know how important it is to have the right team, so I’d love to connect with investor-friendly real estate agents, property managers, and co-hosts in either market.

It's located in the Riverwest Neighborhood it's an upper/lower 3-1 bath per unit layout.