As I understand, landlords there cannot charge application fees, security deposits and evictions are VERY challenging.Have communicated with several PMCs and investors in Ohio market and not aware of any real differences from Michigan. 

.- Cities like Toronto will levy another tax (Vacant Home tax) equivalent to 1% of the current assessed value of the property if the property is not occupied (rented, owner-occupied, family occupied, all count as occupied)- Land Transfer Tax: while the Province of Ontario charges anywhere between 0.5 - 2% of Land Transfer Tax when your transaction closes, you should expect to pay this amount twice if the property is in the City of Toronto .

Sounds like with are under charging our owners by thousands of dollars or they are trying to rip you off.

Hiring someone to do the work will likely cost too much (I would charge a small fortune, it's an incredible amount of work) and doing things as cheaply as possible will bite you in the *** later when you start having issues with your own shoddy work and/or materials.

I was hoping that since it's not a residential unit, that the process might be different and hopefully faster for just a utility space. 

You’re not using a PM, AND you’re assuming you can charge a service animal a deposit and pet rent?

The only thing that spreads faster than a wildfire in a 100mph wind is everyone's "expert" opinion. 

It sounds to me that owning a multifamily home would allow you to reach that goal faster because of the higher cash flow.

You can't charge extra pet rent or even a pet deposit because it's legally not considered a pet.

I do have two really good mentors / coaches I work with that would be able to provide more input but they do charge for their time.