That sounds like a tough spot to be in!

Estimating material costs is easier but the labor is tough.

Trying to BRRR in todays market is pretty tough. 

These leads ask tough questions about the market and aren't satisfied with generic answers like "it's a good time to buy."

I've been researching this quite a bit and am looking into acquiring an STR that I would actively manage and would keep average stay at 7 days or less. I would like to meet the requirement of spending over 100 hours o...

Starter housing on the west coast is pretty tough unless the govmit buys the land and donates it.. land cost are huge part of it.. but in cities were you have lots that are basically worthless  as existing homes cost less than it cost to build.. those could be targets.

Timing schedule for materials Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Your best bet is to ensure that there are no material modifications that would in any way harm or even moderately delay the ability to rent it out and qualify as a normal SFR (one lease, one family) or sell on the market to an owner-occupant

It is tough to find and usually takes some work, but that's the pocket of the market that makes the most sense to me. 

As a fellow Northerner, I tend to buy in the Southern half of the US for 2 reasons:1) you get much higher year-round occupancy rates in the South & it’s simply tough to earn a good ROI in the North if your place sits vacant for a big chunk of the year2) Culturally, the Southern half of the US seems to be a lot more accepting of STRs regulation-wise.