Luxury Vinyl Tile*

One of my family members own a condo with a peek-a-boo ocean view on PCH in Huntington Beach walking distance from the pier, she spent a lot of money renovating the inside because she uses it for personal use and enjoys the luxury of it, but her complex was built in the 70s as well, with a small pool/jaccuzi, no tennis courts or fitness center.  

If paneling is dark, install white mini blinds and show with the lights on.You can put in a couple of low cost luxuries that will make the place stand out.

Sounds like you may be viewed by your contractor as a repeat luxury-home-end-user compared to the build-out prices I'm used too.

Rent Arrears, Court Lodging/Appearances etc?

All of the luxury amenities I liked there ended up being things I never used.

It's not like there's no electricity or water at the property-- it's just no internet (a luxury service) yet.Dish or mobile hot spot might be the way to go.

High HOA fees are usually associated with luxury condos, from which the net rental income is usually very low.

I think that rent range is about right, you probably would need to do some minor aesthetic work first, mostly just paint, maybe new appliances, new outlets/light switches, etc. 27106 is generally a good zip code. 27103 is the center of the bullseye - most desirable neighborhood in town that isn't a luxury neighborhood - draws primarily medical professionals (also where I live) Most places Northwest/West/Southwest of Winston proper are solid.

Specifically, we're seeing significant increases in vacancy caused by an over-abundance of supply, and rapidly decreasing demand as we head into recession (vacation STR markets tend to get hit hardest in recession because recreational travel is of the first things people cut out of their budget during an economic downturn)...I don't know if this is occurring in your market specifically, but it is likely to occur in many STR markets......Also, if you haven't already, I'd suggest reading up on Air BnB's recent platform changes (they now focus on top-tier, highly unique properties--think: luxury beach front treehouses).