We went 'against the grain' of the typical cabin in the area - which are typically all wood, rustic and have not had much updates in many years.

People make their mind up about you within 4 seconds, typically....whether you are or are not somebody they'd like to do business with. 

And it will open up a few more options for you.

You'd have plenty of good options with your budget

For reference, I am self-employed (I run my own online clothing business, i am 1099-k) and I've always been told that it'll be hard for me to get a conventional mortgage when you're self employed, so I am specifically asking about other types of loan options.  

I'd reach out to a broker and see what options they have for you.

Offering a good company one unit is nothing to them so your options are slim.

Ithaca is like another planet.STRENGTHS-  appreciation is pretty much guaranteed, no matter how crummy your property is-  student housing isn't restricted, they'll live anywhere-  having an ivy league school means there's a lot of money flying around-  rent is high-  tons of development and growth going on-   strong STR performance outside the city properWEAKNESSES-  almost absurdly high prices-  similarly absurdly low cap rates-  pesky annual inspections required on multifamily properties-  most deals happen behind closed doors, and agents tend to be very unhelpful-  5-7% cap rates typical, sometimes lowerSummary: Ithaca is a great market to park your money in and wait.

We live in Nevada and want to build a short term rental in Big Bear CA, with the potential of having a Next Gen option so we can also visit on holiday weekends, while staying in the Next Gen Suite.All three of my house I’ve owned were new builds, as they were my primary residence.

You’ll want to differentiate the good ones from the not so good, and that should give you a much better idea of what your options are.