Use wood, tile, or carpet. 

Like, take that waterfront property priced low just because of an outdated kitchen or a carpet issue—easy fixes with big potential.

Either you do all the work yourself, i.e. no contractors, no managers and no cleaners - or you do 100 hours of hands-on work and none of these other people do more hours than you.

We plan to remove the carpet next year and install LVF to increase property's value and potentially bump the rent. 

Depends on what sheets you buy and which cleaner you choose. 

Currently I’m operating it as a STR, but I need a new cleaner and the quotes I’m getting are in some cases double my nightly rate, and the amount it grosses is only slightly more than what it will do as a LTR.

Almost always, vacuum cleaners.

Run the numbers, check for cleaners and handy people availability, see what you can find to outfit the place locally, etc etc.You can, even today, still score a deal and do well with a STR.

The exterior was painted when we bought it, we refinished the floors, added carpet, new paint inside, refinished the kitchen cabinets, replaced a couple windows and did some minor plumbing work inside (along with getting rid of TONS of junk throughout the inside and outside of the home!)

This is something that can be managed with the right dynamic pricing software.Question 2 - No the cleaner should be able to act as the Resident Agent as long as they are comfortable with the responsibility.Hope that helps!