In the advertisement on BP podcast they exclaim that they will drive up the rentals and that you will have a low vacancy rate. this is 100% true. i have been booked solid since may. however. last month it cost me $500 to let strangers stay in my house and this month i might break even. 

You're going to make me drive over the bridge, aren't you?

About $250 to $300 per square foot, because it is small which drives the per sqft cost up absorbing kitchen, bathroom, plumbing, electrical, utilities, basement, roof and impact fees into a small footprint.

If yours is the only STR within 20 miles and there aren't any cities or larger towns within a 20-30 minute drive, you could easily run into trouble even finding a reliable cleaning person, let alone a full-service STR management company.I would also definitely take the time to find some comps on Airbnb in the same area as yours, with as close to the same bed/bath count as yours, and with the same finishes and amenities as you are planning to put in yours.  

I do like the idea of buying a home where everything is still under warranty, although the idea of buying something that doesn't exist yet gives me some pause.Richie,The drive to Huntsville and even Redstone Arsenal is relatively easy and most are along major highways that feed into the Arsenal.

Your suggestion of Modesto, which within a 1.5-hour drive of San Jose definitely caught my attention!

As someone with little capital to invest at this moment, I’m wondering if this is a reasonable (and relatively safe, depending on the deal) option to pursue even if I’m not clearing much in the way of cash flow to start. 

I've discussed this with my real estate attorney who isn't a syndication attorney, and he seems to think that this could work, but to be safe, should be a small group without any association with my company. 

Kids driving is our biggest risk. 

We do live in a rural area and some contractors we spoke with said it was too far of a drive to do the project.