All valuable time.

Having no experience in commercial properties and financing project like this, I decided to reach out to this community hoping to get some guidance for the following. - Best options to finance renovations for the property.  

Building a strong team, including a professional property management company, sounds crucial.Thanks again for your valuable suggestions!

You should seek professional guidance.

To find good contractors, i've had decent luck with the NAHB website, https://www.nahb.org/nahb-community/nahb-directories I don't know that I would spend the money on a designer, not that they are not valuable and have their place, but with an investment it seems like there is a tried and true design that you'll see transcends markets.

There are a ton of valuable resources available on the platform, the knowledge here is boundless. 

Just remember such a verbal conversation is for your guidance only. 

Since then has anyone changed their opinion or able to provide some updated guidance on the Springfield market?

Per this NY Times article, the average American knows around 600 people.https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/science/the-average-american-knows-how-many-people.html#:~:text=The%20average%20American%20knows%20about,do%20you%20know%20named%20Kevin%3FPer the US Census Bureau, the average American moves 11.7 time in their life, which based upon an approximate lifespan of 84 years, works out to be about every 7 years.https://www.census.gov/topics/population/migration/guidance/calculating-migration-expectancy.html#:~:text=Using%202007%20ACS%20data%2C%20it,one%20move%20per%20single%20yearSo, if the average American knows 600 people and they each move about every 7 years, that means that the average American knows around 85 people that move in any given year.How many of those moves do you want to be involved in?

Partnering with Brittney Sciandra provided valuable local insights, making this an attractive and strategic investment for Partner Driven.