Things that could get in the way im putting out there now to make sure no surprises after someone does the work to get me quotes- New York State - Appraisal will barely be past 100k if that- 98% of my income comes from my rental portfolio (thats a new fun rule (to me) I just learned about)- Prefer something without a ton of fees and such.

I know REIGuard is easy and designed for investors.

.- The CA rules seem to have many rules related to financing such as seller must include appraisal, no balloon payments before 10 years, etc.

The rules are designed to prevent related parties from engaging in exchanges that shift high basis property for low basis property, followed by a sale of the low basis property, effectively "cashing out" without recognizing gain.If you sell a property to a related party as part of a 1031 exchange, both you and the related party must hold the exchanged properties for at least two years following the exchange.

And, sounds like you're exactly at the 1% rule, which is golden!

No deal will ever feel perfect—it’s easy to overthink, but the best way to learn is by diving in and taking that first step!

Dimensional variances are usually the easiest to get, but that doesn't mean they are easy.

If you are paying cash for the STR this seems pretty easy. 

Its not as easy but once you are up in running you are building a brand, equity in your business, and also constant flow of leads.

For me, it was easy.