Your inspector will look for structural integrity issues, life safety issues/fire hazards and inspect your MEP Systems to make sure Electrical panel, wiring, piping, hot water heater & HVAC systems are acceptable/good working condition.Roof/Crawlspace/Attic InspectionsIf you are afraid of heights and don't want to get on the roof, crawl around in a dirty creepy crawl space or climb around in a haunted attic, an inspector can inspect these areas.  

I do only have this one house, and I keep very detailed records, but I realize there are suddenly a bunch of tax rules that may affect me and I know little about.Should I have a home inspection done to determine any code issues or safety issues to correct prior to converting the property to a rental?

Go with a location that you're comfortable with... distance from you, safety and cash flow.

Safety first.

Give yourself a wider operating margin and a safety net.

There will be free food, a cash bar and an auction to raise money for Harvesters. 

Just additional food for thought since I know you were considering removing the tree: If you do end up removing it, make sure to alert your insurance company and let them know because that can lower your premium.

Valuables can be stored in a safe, storage room or safety deposit box.

They might not even do anything if they don't have that safety net. 

At what point does the BP community feel it is appropriate to not do this (aka what size safety net) where we no longer have to worry about the monthly flows for an individual property?