Plus @Paul Moore is just a hop, skip, and a jump over in Forest.

There aren't as many areas to house hack in Lake County, so I also recommend looking into live in flips as a way to build up capital to invest.

Lexington has been growing exponentially for the last 30 years and it is still growing because of what you mentioned: climate, shopping, attractions, and proximity to Columbia, not to mention Lake Murray.Lexington traffic is very heavy daily and 10 minutes is usually not enough time to get to Columbia.

My second property I have currently under contract is a small cabin on Table Rock Lake just outside of Branson; I plan to enter the STR market with that property and the goal there is to pay it off in 3 years. 

it was easy  at the time I had my logging company really going.. so of course we rape the forests..

As for our place, it is in Idaho on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

I'm starting my first rental in a few months on a lake that has a strict HOA in Monroe County, PA.

The cash flow if very modest, but it will improve when we move out and rent out the other side (which I hope to do in 2022), however, cash flow is not my number one priority with this property as it should hold value/appreciate very well in the long term with its proximity to Lake Minnetonka.

The cash flow if very modest, but it will improve when we move out and rent out the other side (hopefully in 2022), however, cash flow is not my top priority with this property as it should appreciate very well in the long term with its proximity to Lake Minnetonka.

I own a condo outright across the street of the university of Utah in Salt Lake City and have been trying to get HOA to allow STR it for a long time.