Having said that, since you're a newbie my strong suggestion is to go thru a professional initially.  

Readers are advised to seek professional advice.

Trying to be professional and courteous.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

I imagine it can be tricky without face-to-face interaction, but it sounds like you’ve got a solid approach.Honestly, I don't have a process for establishing trust with sellers other than being polite and professional.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

More than standard among design professionals- Architects and Engineers. 

If you have a perfect closing and first 3 months your dreaming Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

@Scott VaethIf you live in part of the home and rent out rooms, you might be able to keep the lower 4% owner-occupied rate.Instead of a long-term rental that barely covers half the mortgage, could you do a rent-by-the-room model or target traveling professionals to increase cash flow?

Just recently listened to a podcast on mid-term rentals specifically for traveling nurses but could also include corporate professionals or large-scale construction project workers.