My Insurance Agent has strongly recommended that I put a Construction Agreement in place with my Contractor to shield me from liability, etc. 

I've found that there are markets that have a balance of decent cashflow and decent appreciation and that's the type of market I eventually decided to invest in.I'm not too familiar with the different markets down there but I'd highly recommend looking into Candor Realty. 

Others recommend tools like Stessa or Buildium to track actual costs and project future expenses. 

We've had a couple HVAC techs recharge the refrigerant and one recommended replacing the entire system.

I would recommend an STR for the best tax benefits and cash flow no doubt.

I recommend to everyone. 

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.

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

I recommend getting some help to make the process easier. 

Quote from @Bob Avery: I don't recommend leaving a space blank because someone could later attempt to add something in.