I'm interested in two of the properties on the Montgomery County PA Upset Sale list as they are in my surrounding neighborhood and am actually a casual acquaintance of the Owner (which may not be a good situation, particularly if I were the successful bidder).  

If your contract with the buyer has a drop dead date and they do not perform you can move on.You also need get get POF from your buyers and a non refundable deposit.

Curious, how do you research if a multi-family will perform well as a short term rental?

If it is performing well, the buyer pays fair market value for the home and enjoys the benefit of some future income with rentals you already have booked. 

As mentioned this means the property can support itself and wont put me in a situation where I can cover debt, operating expenses or capital expenses.Annualized Return if Sold at the Five-Year Mark:This metric offers a comprehensive view of investment performance, blending both cash flow and equity.

You can use it to track your marketing performance, budgets on projects, KPIs for every role in your business (even if you're a one man show), call metrics, and manage your lead pipeline.

I would narrow your search to who is the most reputable, hungriest, and priced well for the work performed (not the cheapest). 

If the work looks like it was performed by inept home owner or handyman, it will get more scrutiny.  

GPs will either need to perform well (communication, good return, etc) or they will be challenged to get LPs.- The best cash flow in this market is achieved via STR, MTR, or rent by room. 

If a Cost Segregation Study had not been performed on this $1,200,000 warehouse located in Orange, California that was purchased in 2018, it would have had first year depreciation of approximately $10,225.