@Timothy Harbison Hey Tim, my wife and I just bought our first 2 duplex in Washburn and was introduced to this site.

I hope it helps: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/2015-05-25-5-dominate-pro...

I've been finding the foreclosure / pre foreclosure site but not owners who still own the property. 

You can literally find answers to all of your questions within the confines of this site.

No personal experience here but here's a helpful reference from someone who wrote a blog about different aspects of a 2 flat remodel in Chicago Scroll to "Two-flat journal 6: How to make an all-electric house" - - speaks a little about heat pumps and cost In the HVAC section.  

Has anyone used this site for screening?

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

When it comes to foreclosure info broken down by state, I have found this site to be helpful: https://www.realtytrac.com/rea...As for licensing info, the NMLS is probably your best starting point. 

I looked at the city's sites about rentals and I didn't see anything that would benefit new STRs.

But was hoping there might be a Savvy one that is already a member on the site.