I could be off here, but my understanding is that if you are already in the business, you have a precedent set and can depreciate furnishings as you scale your portfolio. 

I dont particulary care to own them anymore i sold them.. too much work for me.. we moved to Mid term fully furnished I like that WAAAAY better. 

Wouldn't you need a property manager who specializes in furnished rentals?

New floors, paint, trim, furnished.

I've decided, starting off, that I'd like to try renting apartments in my current market (Jacksonville, Florida) then furnishing them and offering them to traveling professionals on AirBNB and/or furnished finder. 

If you haven't yet I would suggest looking at Furnished Finder and Zillow in the areas that you are considering in Northern VA to get a general sense of the competition. 

I've been renting out my 3/3 end unit townhouse for the past three months through Furnished Finder, to a great tenant on a four month lease.

Cosmetic rehab and furnishing both units to short term rental quality.

Ive lived in Thailand the last four years and have an opportunity to purchase a 30 year lease on a brand new fully furnished eco 1 bedroom at a beautiful tropical location that only gets busier each year.

Virtual staging is a method of placing furniture in an image to make a room appear furnished.