I’m a BIG fan of building ground up since the cost to build typically pales in comparison to the completed value, plus the ability to have it just how you like it.

And sometimes I use Quicksilver (pale blue by SW) in bathrooms or bedrooms so everything isn't all gray/greige. 

What is taught in a classroom will pale in comparison to learning from someone who is already very successful doing what you want to do in real time and the classroom learning materials are probably outdated.

Most other sources of return on RE is tax deferred and there are legal means to never pay tax on those returns. its return historically pales to the return of San Diego appreciation.  

I have a dedicated website for one of them, which we built right when I bought the property and went live on Airbnb and VRBO.Honestly, I had grandiose ideas about optimizing the site for SEO and pulling in organic bookings, but it's a ton of work and the volume of bookings would pale in comparison to what we get from the booking sites, which I feel are well worth the fees because of their marketing, retargeting, payment infrastructure, vetting of tenants, etc.The site I built is a simple website and it does rank well for a few keywords related to the lake we're on (Baxter Lake), but I don't expect to get inquiries through that site any more.

@Keith Nugent  Yes, I've felt fortunate to live in Hood River ever since arrival, though every winter I step off the plane into Florida soil, pale and weak, I do question why to not live there. 

My house is brand new and has dark hard wood floors, white cabinetry, quartz counter tops, stainless steel, and pale grey paint throughout so I have no remodeling to do, "just" to furnish it.Can anyone talk about furnishing a new house to be used a vacation home (most of the time, for now).

However, the importance of those two pales in comparison to the importance of persistence. 

I do think pale grays are more elegant than beige, and look more up to date.Now, for my vacation rentals here in Florida, I'm using a lot of (re-tints to look like) Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt and Benjamin Moore Beach Glass, both blue-green-grays, along with SW Zircon- a pale gray, all with bright white trim.

Quote from @Michael Paling: I'd suggest finding a local investor to sit down with and chat about this.