Yes, taxpayers who hold their relinquished property for two years satisfy the requisite intent for a 1031 Exchange (or two tax reporting periods, since in an audit the IRS may look backwards and forwards two tax returns).

And then work backwards from there. 

So we worked backwards.  

What I recommend you start with is brainstorming an afternoon and work through numbers to get there and work backwards.

So start with the end in mind and work backwards from there to find areas to get into, makes sense to meAnything special to look for in Zoning laws when looking for developing short term cabins, that you can think of?

It gets outdated quick.Go figure out why you're looking to invest, then kind of work backwards and be conservative. 

Then take your 1 year goal and work backwards.

I would suggest looking at what you want at the end and working backwards (this will be difficult at first, but do your best and you'll fill in the gaps later).  

I try to start with comps and work backwards...how much will I need in repairs/holding time, etc.,  to get it where I want it while still preserving my profit ratio.

That is backwards, you should use your profit to determine what your offer should be.