Let's assume there is no CO obtained immediately after the sale (will do later after repairs are done), and no township or local-level inspections requested.Is the township automatically notified by the county of the sale or is there some mechanism by which they would learn about the sale and update their records, other than by the buyer telling them about it, or applying for a CO? 

unfortunately, a lot of new investors are under the impression that if they are not purchasing properties, they automatically have 'analysis paralysis.' 

I highly suspect that DTI is not an automatic disqualifier.  

All expenses get imported automatically and I tag what it does not automatically categorize for me.  

Invest in a system that will manage your leads and automatically manage your follow ups.  

A prospective tenant may schedule a showing time through our system after being verified.Our system will automatically send a lockbox code to that prospective tenant that's only valid for the scheduled showing time they signed up for and will change after that scheduled period ends.

If you are putting your STR on Sch C and NOT providing substantial services, you will cost yourself money long term and risk the IRS reclasses your activity (which may or may not have consequences).Nonpassive does NOT equal Income from Self Employment automatically. 

My initial thoughts were to do a free survey site and send it to the resident and then if it generates a 4 or 5 star create a zap with zapier to automatically send an email or text to leave a google review as well?

Buildium won't send it automatically.

Perform the same task in each app to ensure a fair comparison.Load a property with pictures and details.Market that property.See what your marketing looks like from the public's perspective.Submit a fake application to see how easy the process is.Run a credit/screening report on yourself.Enter a maintenance request, assign a vendor, and attach a fake invoice.Enter charges to the tenant's ledger.Enter recurring charges and automatic late fees.Sign documents electronically.Run owner reports.After testing a few apps, one should clearly stand out.