We’re currently building a small cluster of new-construction duplex units in Little Rock, and we made a deliberate decision to go smaller than our recent builds.Each unit is:2 bed / 1 bathSingle storyApproximately 650–695 sq ftBrand new constructionHere’s the part that surprised me:We underwrote these units at roughly the same rent as larger, older, more worn-down rentals on the same street.That creates a pretty simple choice for tenants:Bigger but dated and inefficientSmaller but brand new, clean, and efficientSo far, demand has strongly favored the new construction.We also intentionally skipped features like fenced yards and other upgrades.

There were no bad intentions here.

The ones that win feel intentional, not accidental. 

But, could the property benefit from a few intentional design, styling, and landscaping updates that better support the "Romantic Cabin" positioning, really highlight the features, and justify a higher nightly rate?

Being more intentional with your rehabs is important.

Currently pulling lists from PropStream and door-knocking for pre-foreclosure/high-equity deals, but I'm looking to scale with inbound leads to save time.Came across Real Estate Bees for their pay-per-lead model—motivated seller leads, geo-targeted to the Triad, supposedly high-intent from SEO/PPC ads (not cold lists).

What makes it slow in this case is that you don't really start seeing real cash flow until after year five but it's more effective than rentals in that there is little to no maintenance.Sure you can live in a home while fixing it up with the intention of selling it for a nice profit later but I think many people are already doing that and the buyers of slow flips now also have that opportunity without having to qualify with a bank.

It's all about discipline and intention with HELOC's. 

And as you scale, make sure you’re documenting your involvement and decisions cleanly having a solid audit-ready framework around participation and intent becomes more important than squeezing one extra deal per year.

If I buy a property now with the intention of using it as a self-managed STR, then rehab it and get a cost seg study done, will that cost seg reflect all the improvements I have made to the property since buying it?