I would imagine if your stick with it and become a stellar host (especially in an area like Pittsburg where there are countless reasons for folks to be traveling), you will eventually see the gold.Our experience right now is bookings are DEFINITELY softer than when we first started and competition was fewer.

I have a duplex near Centennial Park that I am currently rehabbing and plan to MTR to travel nurses (close to major hospitals).

I would either use a HML spread over multiple deals to rehab or I would find a property with good bones (foundation, and most studs/joists are solid) then buy it for super cheap and force appreciation through the rehab, which is what I do. 

If you want to market traveling nurses, perhaps closer to town or inside Tucson is where you want to be with your STR.

But there is hope... if you drive through the 4th ward area, you can clearly tell which properties are owned (single family homes with kept lawns and neatly decorated) and which properties are rentals (usually a broken window or two, falling apart porches, messy yards)... the closer to the single family-dense parts in the 4th ward, the better chance you have of getting a rental property that hasn't been laid to waste that you can purchase for a fairly cheap price. 

Post cards are not necessarily cheap.

Or then you look and by adding the cabinets, sink, and a separate entrance, you could get 150 a night but the extra rehab costs 20k to do, I think you have to look at taking less rent for putting in less money.To me, given where you seem to be new, I would go the cheap route to start. 

Avoid putting in cheap items and put in more durable - tile vs carpet, mini blinds vs faux wood, lights instead of ceiling fans.

You can still find deals here that has cash flow, meet the 1% rule, and has a ton of appreciation potential at a cheap price point - $120k-$180k.

Some towns you will find a cheap two family where tenants are paying far below market and you can then strategize what you'd do if you bought it to make the numbers make sense.