The house was bought first week of decemeber with a finish date planned for March.The went over the time for completing the work and blamed it on the snow in the area.  

Snow is asking about the deposit required to go into escrow not the down payment.

It's only 3.5% down + closing costs and reserves.Work your day job, mow lawns, leaf cleanup, shovel snow, flip furniture, pick up night shifts waiting tables/bartending, stock shelves at home depot overnight if you hate talking to people or anything else.

We're currently paying for lawn care, snow removal and cleaning services + husband is doing some of their home maintenance himself.

One of my cabin's is up on a knob off a mountain in the Smokies so different environment than you but the issues are probably the same and they all revolve around winter, albeit I am guessing yours will be much worse than ours.Mild scenario is where guest are at the cabin and a snow/ice storm hits while they are at the cabin.  

Depending on where you live you can mow lawns or shovel snow.

Remember your costs will be more for an STR, you'll be paying for a lot of things you wouldn't with an LTR - higher STR insurance, all utilities including internet, supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, dishwasher detergent etc, upkeep on furniture and linens if damaged, yard maintenance and grass cutting/snow removal, trash removal, etc.  

Too many entrepreneurs make good money each year but pay Uncle Sam 35-50% of it.It takes a long time to build a massive wealth snowball when 1/3 to 1/2 of your snow gets chopped off each year.Real estate can help with this.

Plan your renovation timeline to list properties during peak buying months - also take into consideration that snow and rain will affect your rehab.Another way that you will want to take climate into account is  that given the cold winters, energy-efficient improvements like insulation and modern HVAC systems can be attractive to buyers.

If you aren't getting any traction, you are probably over priced, you may want to consider a Mid term Rental to the Snow Bird community.