On the other hand, if I do go through insurance, they might find reasons not to pay out, resulting in another zero-dollar claim.Do you have any recommendations for where to find a reliable, trustworthy, transparent, and accurate insurance company or agent?

Here's what I'm seeing on airbnb.com/performance as well:

My due diligence will include reviewing past reports - on assets that performed and those that didn't. 

Ithaca is like another planet.STRENGTHS-  appreciation is pretty much guaranteed, no matter how crummy your property is-  student housing isn't restricted, they'll live anywhere-  having an ivy league school means there's a lot of money flying around-  rent is high-  tons of development and growth going on-   strong STR performance outside the city properWEAKNESSES-  almost absurdly high prices-  similarly absurdly low cap rates-  pesky annual inspections required on multifamily properties-  most deals happen behind closed doors, and agents tend to be very unhelpful-  5-7% cap rates typical, sometimes lowerSummary: Ithaca is a great market to park your money in and wait.

We use Quick Calc Pro which gives several options for best performance on a given property.

How accurate is Zillow and what is the basis for them to determine the house price.

New BTR properties are exceptional and perform very well. 

Biased being with a professional design and reno company, but if you want perform well and potentially outperform the competition, I would say it's a must at this point.

It isn't truly accurate but it is a start.3.

Financial Planning: Gain a clear understanding of financial performance to aid in creating a robust investment strategy.3.