From what I have read and understand, this is a common characteristic of ALL highly successful individuals.

What characteristics would make an area a "bad area".

You are seeking help and guidance and that is one of the key characteristics of a good student.

It all depends upon the characteristics of what is being done.  

I really like the property as far as it natural characteris tics such as a seasonal stream, south facing slope, pond possibilities

More extensive rehabs can take longer to complete and therefore increase your holding period.The ideal property would be one that has characteristics that make it unattractive to retail buyers but can be fixed by you without having to spend extensive time in rehab.

I am looking for the following characteristics of the company I will choose to use.

For a lot of sales up here, the seller and buyer are happy to negotiate furnishings as part of, or adjacent to the transaction as they don't want to deal with that from the seller end or the buyer end.I would suggest perhaps narrowing your search to specific properties, as then, management companies may be more open to discussing a specific location rather than general characteristics because there exist a lot of variables for STRs in Big Bear.

There are various types of self directed retirement plans (IRA,Roth IRA, SEP IRA and Solo 401k) that have different plan characteristics such as contribution limits, for example.1. 

I think that one of the biggest risks with a buy/rehab type of investment, is finding a buyer quickly. Like many would-be investors, I worry that I will end up losing money through holding costs. This scenario worsens...