@Chris Kay finding a quality, cost-effective contractor is extremely difficult:(There are thousands of contractors that are great talkers, but rarely perform within budget.Standard bait & switch is to lowball a bid, then once they get started all sorts of things "pop up" that somehow their bid didn't cover.

Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620 (approaching 22% probability of default), many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years.

The seller is out of the picture. 

This includes contacting the applicant’s employer and speaking with their supervisor to confirm job stability, income, and reliability​. if the person has not been employed at their place of employment they would require a guarantorCredit Score and Debts: Applicants need a minimum credit score of 620, and while we review debts, medical debts are generally not disqualifying unless they impact overall financial health.Criminal History: We do review criminal history to ensure safety and security for our tenants, while remaining mindful of state and federal guidelines.Rental History: Positive references from past landlords, with no evictions or significant lease violations in the past five years, are essential. and we can see into the court system if they have an eviction judgement.Release of Information: We include a release form allowing us to verify employment and rental history directly, which helps us get a clearer picture of an applicant’s background.This process has worked well so far, but I’m always open to improving.

We like the short-term rental idea because we could stay at the property ourselves when we want - summer break, spring/winter breaks, etc.Our budget will be right around $1M or less ideally, and we would like a short distance to the ocean.How likely is it that we could find a property as described above and have it cover or come close to covering the mortgage? 

Real numbers- purchase 907k,rehab , closing costs, soft costs, 840k, all in 1.747 mil, basis for each unit should be roughly 291kappraisal of each unit minimum 400k , so 2.4 mil if for all 6.I might refi only 4 out of 6, that will cover initial loan amount.

Here are some pictures of the properties that I have there to get an idea of the style of properties that I have with parters.

I suspect I will throw more money at a problem Airbnb has no interest in covering

The least states:"Tenant shall pay a "late charge" not in excess of five (5%) percent of the amount in arrears for each month the arrears remain unpaid if any Rent is paid more than ten (10) days after the due date thereof, to cover the extra expense involved in handling delinquent payments.

You would  then alert your insurance to it and it will go up but you would be covered.