Joshua Tree is a bit of a tough market as there are a lot of STRs in the area.Be prepared that your first year might be a little thin as you are new and need to build up some reviews to get rolling.The interior is a bit of a toss up.

starting with a flip" is really tough because flipping takes capital. 

Mine was also out of state, in a town I’d never visited, and I relied heavily on videos from my agent.This sounds like a tough first deal, but it seems like you have some capital on the side, which will be useful as you face the upcoming challenges and learn from those expensive early mistakes.Regarding the subject of this post, “help me adjust my expectations,” I’d recommend assuming that; repairs will cost twice as much as you estimate, maintenance and vacancy rates will likely double from your initial projections, there’s a very real chance you may lose money on this deal.That said, there are ways to mitigate these risks by:- Keep asking questions here on BP and connecting with local experts- Stay proactive and communicative with your agent and property manager.And remember “Inspect what you expect.”Im not trying to discourage you but to help reset your expectations.

I work with these two:Metro Detroit Property Management - Mark HutterNHL Property management - Howard GenserThere are a tonne of companies and each one has had good and bad experiences, so no one in particular stands out.One part of the equation is that the Detroit market itself is a tough place and is not for the novice investors.Only seasoned and large volume Investors make it successful in Detroit.

the market is tough right now and buying a random property you haven't seen and trusting it to people you don't know is likely going to push you backwards, not forwards.hope this helps

STR markets are tough and change fast, best of luck!

So it's a tough situation for us.

@Bryan Stengel, I think alcohol has been the tough one with the STRs, not sure about if you need license( hopefully someone will chip in ) , however there  always the liability part including but not limited to offering alcohol to people who are trying to quit etc.

If you're looking for something turnkey it will be pretty tough. 

It's a nice place but in a small town it can be tough to find a good property manager.