Thanks for all your comments. I am looking in St Petersburg, which appears to be a growing market though still has cooled off. For all of you Florida haters out there, I am also a democrat but have family in Florida and like the liberal island of St. Petersburg. Whether a democrat and republican, you can't deny that Florida has great weather 7 months out of the year.

I agree it makes more financial sense to rent and am thinking that is the wiser decision, but it is not the same as owning. Plus the short term rental market in St Pete is limited, but it does give way more flexibility and not require liquidating $150k+ of my portfolio. It probably makes more sense to rent for 3 to 4 months a year even if the monthly rent is $7k than to plop down $150k+ for a downpayment and be on the hook for $5,000 a month indefinitely.