Man you are in a great position, just the fact that your willing to move away to enhance your investing potential shows that you are hungry for it.

For down the road, might be worth at least evaluating up-front the feasibility of adding a bathroom to enhance resell.Others have said they love the 2/1's, as they're cheap relative to rents, typically are small needing less maint., and don't attract families with destructive munchkins. :)

I'm curious if anyone has recommendations on ideal couches to buy for vacation rentals.I guess ultimately I'm trying to figure out what type of material and texture is best for an STR couch, though I'm also open to hearing specifics like brand names, recommended colors, patterns, typical price points, etc - any suggestions are welcome!

@Mary Jay Flat or eggshell is typically used on walls/ceilings because a finish with any sheen doesn’t hide all the imperfections in the drywall finishing….hence the reason why most walls have some “texture” applied.

I believe the formal name is an enhanced life estate deed which as Tom Gimer already pointed out does not pass title until the Grantor dies. 

We knew the plaster in the example above was a candidate because of when the house was built (early 1940s).Some plaster products {may have} contained asbestos right up until the 1980s - certain spray-on textured ceilings (1970s popcorn) in certain areas come to mind.  

The painter said "Since this home has many areas of large peeling paint the surface after primer and paint will not be smoothed as before will have texture."

These new site enhancements ROCK!!

Despite this, I have invested in various improvements to enhance her living conditions.

Color, texture etcGround and wall LEDs strategically placed with plantsAttractive mailboxes etc on the wall?