Customer service doesn't even begin to describe this chain of events; this is guided missile level sales follow up and over the top attention to detail and customer attraction.

the inspection was easy but indicated I needed to add screws to the condenser to attach to platform (seems reasonable and no idea why contractor did not do it, he also trusted me to do it as no reinspection and all signed off), but more than a year to get the permit opened. 

If this guy is an attorney he should be smart enough to know that top level apartments get hot in the summer.

I've not done that remotely, but it could be done.I have a handyman that gets used appliances all the time and installs them in my rental houses when needed.It would take some trust or coordination on your part but could save you some substantial money.I'm sure you could find someone on the next door app that was handy and had a truck to go pickup stuff.

At this point it does not matter if they have a presence on google or not as I trust their ability to sift through all the BS. 3.

I would also look at long-term rentals in the area with a trusted agent or even just browsing Zillow.

At a technical level you have two paths, either 1) combining the bottom and ground floor units into a larger unit as you suggested above or 2) create a third legal unit.

Suddenly, sites like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube became my trusted surfboards, allowing me to ride the digital waves and connect with a large network of other investors.

Happy to share if you're interested.Accounting systems are great: QB, Stessa, Digb but the reality is you want to track a few things at a high level, this will make your life a lot easier when you sell/need to report income/loss, and accounting systems won't always make this easy. 

They have been very difficult tenants from the start, and I do not trust them unfortunately.