Other than outright fraud, how easy is it for seasoned sponsors to start losing investor capital? 

One golden rule I follow,if it takes a long time to fix/replace when it breaks, don't buy a cheap one.Imagine, this thing breaks in the middle of your peak season and the people who can come out to rebuild are 2 weeks out....It takes at least a day or two to build something like this even if you are super skilled.

Selling slower here too--FL you have a lot going on--midwest has a seasonality effect. 

I'll add that you must manage yourself for at least a year (all four seasons, etc.) to have a real understanding of what you want done and how much you would value what is offered by STR PM.

I have an outdoor pool that easily have 1k+ people using it every season and I never had single complaint due to the water quality.

Sure, all channels can work, even seller financing or foreclosures, but in my experience, a well-connected agent can uncover hidden gems that often outperform the trickier avenues.Since the post is still fresh, I’m curious.. do you foresee other potential add ons that might elevate the returns even further, like corporate housing partnerships or short-term seasonal leases?

Often established sellers go with seasoned listing brokers.

That does not require employment or job seasoning instead it uses the rents to qualify and you can take out up to 80% LTV cash.Use the cash to put down on the next 1-2 or more properties as long as the other properties are debt servicing themselves it opens up more opportuities to buy more future assets and increase your passice income.  

I may be wrong but you cannot refi unless the property is seasoned for 12 months when using Fannie, Freddie, Ginnie.

Now if you are seasoned and portfolio is mature and you are not as concern about maximizing income then I can see a migration to SFH might suit someone.