The STR I'm thinking actually wouldn't be San Diego, but in one of the mountain resort towns in CA where there are lots of STR.

If this is a short-term rental, then a designer can help make the space more attractive to guests good photos, a cozy atmosphere and a unique style increase occupancy.

If you are near a major course and get golfers, I can see this as a major addition.If you are on a lake or in the mountains, maybe not so much.

Interesting — I’ve been running numbers on luxury flips in the $1M+ range (esp. mountain retreats).

Quote from @Trevor Bogus: Hey BP Community,My wife and I currently live in southwest Colorado and we are looking to invest out of state as investing for cash flow in our market has become quite difficult in a small, tourist driven mountain town.

For instance, if you're building on a mountain in GA, on the ocean, or on a nice grassy plot inland, the prep is going to be very, very different. 

Purchase price: $585,000 Cash invested: $150,000 This is a short term rental cabin in a monthly program that is located within the Smokey Mountain What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

And second, it will require you to raise a mountain of capital for one deal, which means a few things: First is you might not be able to execute, leaving the deal stuck and unable to close, resulting in a loss of costs to that point, second that it will be difficult for you to scale, and without scale you won't earn enough to live off of and would either be a weekend-warrior investment sponsor, or an absent sponsor, neither of which are beneficial to an LP.4.

I would not go the pueblo route because the overall equity and appreciation gain won't be as much as a mountain property STR and don't manage yourself. 

We own several STR properties in the Smoky Mountains.