@Rosemary Earl - the first obvious question is what does your competition offer and are they sitting vacant too? 

If that were true the various real estate niches would have almost unlimited competition and profits would head toward 0.  

Keep this in mind when calculating potential profitability.Research active and potential competitive rentals in your intended market near Gatlinburg, not just through AirDNA, but searching booking platforms.

I am not looking to waive the inspection but what other options can I present that people have used which makes the offer competitive.

You can start with a minimal investment of as little as $10.Fractional ownershipFractional ownership is where you join other investors to purchase a property.

Luckily the personal referral had the most competitive bid and ended up going that direction.

Conventional financing for fractional ownership---who is gone mainstream with this type of financing?

There is always room to add another property and make a decent return, but it requires enough knowledge/experience to create a rental that is unique enough to attract renters away from the competition.

Something to the effect that they will look at pics and video of the space and give you ideas on how to make the space unique with good style to help your place stand apart from the competition and you can purchase the material from the company as well (think wall accents, cabinetry, etc)I think the pod dropped in the last couple weeks.

What about the competition?