A lot of people stop at the numbers and forget to consider neighborhood dynamics, tenant quality, or lifestyle fit and it sounds like you’re being very intentional about that.The smaller/lifestyle-driven markets you mentioned (Warwick, Burke, Lake George, etc.) are great places to personally enjoy, but you’re right - they typically only make sense financially if you lean heavily into STR/MTR, which comes with more management intensity and risk.

With that said, the success in real estate investing depends heavily on understanding the specific dynamics of the local market, including neighborhoods, development trends, and regulations.

The landscape has shifted a lot in the last couple of years with tighter regulations, rising costs, and changing guest expectations, so the old “set it and forget it” model doesn’t really work anymore.What I’ve found works best now is being really intentional about market selection (not just chasing the “hot spots”), building out sustainable operations that can scale, and leveraging dynamic pricing + tech tools to stay competitive.

In my experience,strategies in those market often involve focusing on long term appreciation,it can be tough doe at first but understanding your local market dynamics can really help

And with the dynamic pricing we have been able to charge more than I would have thought without sacrificing occupancy. 

Plugged wells are cut-off below ground so you will visually not see them.

I’m assuming that there were no visual signs of shoddy workmanship.

Started transplanting trees along side of old farmhouse for visual break.  

-Robust integrations (dynamic pricing, channel managers, etc.).

I rely heavily on their dynamic pricing to maximize revenue.