They missed the promised start date on the project by almost two months causing a cascading failure on dates since it was the roof, there were interior things, other dependencies that we couldn't do until the roof was finished. 

In our experience, things move in ebbs and flows and the speed of rental depends on your asking rents relative to competition.For example, there was a period of several months at one of our properties when a 3 or 4 BR unit came on the market it rented almost instantly. 

However, when I requested our EIN the letter stated, "Based on the information received from you or your representative, you must file the following forms by the dates shown.

You look at the house, look left around neighborhood, look right, and just tour at a normal human speed looking around exactly as any person coming to tour would. 

I also know a few property managers I can recommend who are responsive and experienced with investors.Let me know when you finalize your travel dates—I’d love to meet up while you’re in town and show you a few options!

Om rrandom bit of advice: you might be able to get by with 1 high-speed internet account if you use aseries of good Wi-Fi extenders, like Eero. 

Keep detailed records of payment dates and amounts and consult a tax professional to ensure this strategy aligns with your overall tax planning. 

I like the idea of STR as it seems like it can generate significantly more income than LTR and would allow me to block out dates if I have friends or family come visit.

Is there a way to stick the BC in some kind of escrow that is controlled by the lending institution so they can continue to cash in on appreciation and then they can cash it in at a later date rather than you doing it today?

If this is a "store bought" fire place (not a wood stove) then usually only processed presto logs are appropriate because they burn at a constant speed and keep the heat down.