Hi - I wrote/published an article on this exact topic right here on BiggerPockets Last year, sharing link, hope it helps!

The BRRRR method and mid-term rentals are solid strategies, and you’ll find plenty of insights here to help guide your decisions.

Persistence in reaching a supervisor or someone with decision-making authority can sometimes yield better results.Contact HUD and Explore Options: Immediately follow up with the HUD counseling representative.

Here's two episodes I might start with on your STR/MTR decision journeyBuying in Overlooked Short-Term Rental Markets https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-948The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Medium-Term Rental Empire https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-780If you like those two episodes, please feel free to reach out to me for more, there's a good amount of STR/MTR BiggerPockets podcasts and content.

They would never look at 99% of the 154 units that are listed on Zillow at any given time.I used this exercise to show how opportunities fall through the cracks & most investors make investment decisions based on bad or irrelevant data.

Those decisions are really yours to make and are dependent on your goals.Hope that helps!

And even farther off the original topic, is it unusual to not have access to microwave parts for a unit <10 years old?

While I manage 65 or so units and we allow the owners to make that decision, I also own quite a few units myself. 

This allows me to make a full decision knowing the nature of the repairs, cost of repairs and have the ability to back out of my offer if there is a red flag or major foundation problem that increases my repair costs dramatically higher than I anticipated.

With the current market been short on single family homes in our area we have made a strategic decision to pivot back to flipping a few properties.