STR that do the best have a target audience based on the the surrounding options that improve the vacation experience.

Alternatively, I could hope that my next assignment will be in a better market with more options, maybe lower rates, and more cash on hand.Should I accept that no market is perfect and get in the game now, or hold out for a year to enter a potentially better market with more capital to invest?

Take all that out of the equation and you have two options.

We have good products for under 30 days and over 6 months, but not a lot of great options for between.  

By "partial" I mean renovating the kitchen and bathroom, painting the place, re-tiling the floor and maybe adding some smaller features that can make a difference to prospective buyers, such as new A/C units, new internal doors, or maybe even sell the place furnished (home staging is not really an option here); with no or minimal demolition, and hopefully without electricity or plumbing issues.

The down payment option + traditional will most likely be lower.

From what I was told by a Chase lender, most institutions use the same underwriters, who implement this 2 year requirement.I understand that private lending could be an option, however, I'm not sure who would lend to me with favorable terms based on my lack of real estate experience.

What are other options?

I am curious how you landed on Michael Blank's vs all the other options?

But I'm open to other options.