If this fails, then perform a land trust strategy.

I’ve tried VRBO and Furnished Finder, but they didn’t perform well in my market.

The real estate investing industry uses "Classes" to rank property performance risk, but there's NO agreed upon industry model:(Here's what we use for our Metro Detroit market:Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

They don't deserve my money if they can't perform those tasks. 

Perform this research by using the rent comp tool on BiggerPockets as well as FB marketplace, Zillow, Craigslist, etc Also for those 15% of units that are “at market”.

Then again this would also mean that I'd need to build a small team, and I'd need everyone to perform whereas they're bringing it all in one.Another big thing here is the risk - as I said above I have a fairly pessimistic view about the economy in the next couple of years..

It reminds me of the Charles Schwab study - their best performing retail investment accounts were from dead people that never closed out the account.

Smart investors first focus on finding quality properties—such as those in thriving areas of Brooklyn or potential neighborhoods around Manhattan—and then reverse engineer the process by improving management, optimizing rental structures, or enhancing facilities to make it worthwhile.

While metrics like square footage or price per square foot matter, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and overall location are often more critical for attracting tenants.Engaging a property manager early on can save you from costly mistakes and help you invest in properties that perform well in the rental market.

If you are interested I could get you detailed information on where STR's perform best within the country.