Buying in or close to an urban area near employers is very important to me, and buying out of state in smaller suburbs is too risky for my taste as well.  

If your property is located optimally (ie; near a lift, near the base), stands out positively compared to the comps (ie; tastefully furnished, good amenities, etc) achieving ~20+ days/month is completely doable.

You need a good property with tasteful decor and excellent amenities.

During Covid, I joined up with a group of people who would do bourbon tastings virtually.

I would consider a compromise solution - don't completely eliminate theming but add it to just a few rooms and do it in a tasteful "sophisticated" way that won't be off putting to family members.

Sometimes the worst tasting medicine is best for people.

Tax free profit, and getting to update the home to our taste.

The route i mentioned above will give you a taste of the different areas of real estate on a small scale.

Let's just say it is an acquired taste. they haven't been able to sell the house in a hot market. 

I couldn't agree more about the too-good-to-be-true deals that seem to lure in so many OOS investors, who see opportunity in the low entry price and have a terrible experience 98% of the time, only to walk away with a bitter taste of "Cleveland" as a whole.To your point @James Maradits, I think property management is inherently ill-suited to those kinds of properties/deals.