Or maybe they'll reveal new information like they don't need a rental for three more months or they ask, "will that apartment take three horses and a goat?" 

I work from home and live in Chattanooga Tennessee. 2017: 1st Door Purchased / + Wedding2018: Second Door Purchased / + Moved Cross CountryTomorrow: Scheduled to close on a third door and we are off to the races.

I hope I'm not beating a dead horse. 

Maybe I'm putting the cart before the horse, but What's the likelihood of getting renters within the first 3 months? 

I partnered with a few people and we were off to the races!

Consistent, persistent, and not blowing up your account wins the race. 

I have a 10 unit mixed-use in a 1 horse town, too.  3/4 of the tenants worked at the same place when I bought it.

It can be difficult to try to build all of the potential costs into the pro-forma especially early in the process without a buildable plan, and to some degree it seems the cart has to go before the horse because you don't want to hire the architects to get you a "for construction" plan if you don't have your muni approvals yet. 

Horse people look for pasture board (horse lives full time on land with shelter) and full board (horse gets a stall, pasture, cleaning, feed, etc).

ok,  I'm sure this horse has been beat to death but I need to know.