Housing Supply Crisishttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HOUST#> all time low rates> low starts, historically low starts for the last 10 years> supply low> inflation in building material costsQuestions> How do these starts over the last 10 look when corrected for population growth, are they really that low?

Unless you have already identified some opportunities, you may be sitting a while on that cash so that the interest cost will be accruing while your funds remain unused.I do not know the Provo market (I am sure others on here can give you more granular advice) but am generally a fan of real estate investing in college towns - vacancies tend to be few and far between as demand almost always outstrips supply. 

This feels like a no brainer considering most townhomes in Lehi are going for 330k+ right now as supply is very low and demand is very high.

If the supply pipes are that old, the drains are too probably and could be corroding through.

@James Edwards This will depend on your local market including the supply and demand.

You're less likely to get a 'discount' with that level of service but in my experience it can increase the market value of the home by 10's of thousands compared to not doing it.Just a heads up that not all stagers are good, some are excellent but some get caught up in staging and over-stage with too much clutter and furniture items that make rooms looks small.Look at an agent's previous listing photos because ultimately they are the ones who work with a lot of buyers too and should know how to handle listing prep so that it appeals to buyers (aka staged for SALE).

See what the local supply and demand is in the area.

Demand outpaces supply ...substantially. 

A quick look at prices of units not supplied by UCSB show a 3 BR with 6 students starts at ~$1k/month per student (Own bedroom is double the cost). 

In addition, I suspect there are issues/inefficiencies in the materials supply chain due to COVID.