Hi there Wesley,It's certainly a unique situation you're facing.

We have seen highly decorated smaller homes book well.

It seems like nothing cash flows unless I do a STR, and decorating an Airbnb alone eats up a large chunk of my cash.

Establish connections with real estate brokers that focus on investment properties.Funding: Explore various funding options, such as partnerships, hard money lenders, private lenders, and conventional mortgages.Make use of your experience in building to precisely estimate repair costs and provide prospective lenders with well-prepared project proposals.Look into any grants or incentives that may be available to real estate investors on a local and federal level.Create a concise business strategy that outlines your objectives, both short- and long-term, target properties, and investment tactics.Remember, each real estate market is unique, so adapt your strategies based on your local conditions.

There are some unique loan options available for STRs--feel free to use me as a resource for any lending questions! 

Found a lender through the local community and leveraged one of their more unique products.

Second, and this is unique to Asheville, is that boomers are retiring there in massive numbers, and buying with cash more than other comparable markets, inflating prices everywhere.

Get a roommate, hopefully a property that needs some cosmetic love, even better if it's a small MFH.Rinse and repeat every couple of years, slowly build some equity, cash flow, knowledge, experience and relationships and then you can do bigger, and more unique things. 

I assume there are some unique and beautiful properties to invest in located there.

Online Real Estate Classes:Local Options: Check if there are local real estate schools or institutions offering online courses approved by your state.Before enrolling in a course, verify its accreditation and relevance to your state's real estate licensing requirements.Remember, each real estate journey is unique, so tailor your approach to fit your goals and local market conditions.