Also with the hurricane Helene aftermath I wanted to get your insight or opinions about this past year and what to expect going forward.

Also know that building a home seldom goes as expected - I have relatives that just built a nicer house… they thought it would take 9 months… it literally took 18-24 months between delays in permitting and the builder just not being able to get it done in a timely manner - often due to sub-contractor issues.  

Here in Horry County, you can expect to pay around $3350/year for a property valued at $250,000. 

If your cash flow is break even and you don't expect a groundswell of appreciation, why hold it? 

I think the main points would apply to you as well.STR is great, as long as you go into it with eyes wide open and reasonable expectations. 

Buying in a high COLA with loss protection is a no-brainer in my book, but only if you expect to relo again.

W2 and 1099 income, 2 kids, renting, and 1 rental.At what point does it make sense to hire tax help and how much should that expect to pay?

Insurance would cover it, I would pay the deductible, and no assets would be lost.If you are in an area like San Diego where people are more likely to sue, a judge is more likely to find you guilty, and the payout is expected to be higher, you may consider an umbrella insurance policy.

The team members I've worked with are super nice, but I have to ask, are there significantly better turn key provider deals to be had with a little more patience/perhaps better expectations set from me?

Look for books published in the last 2 years as some of the books post 2010 seem to give people unrealistic expectations.