We always recommend investors pick an area with little STR regulations that draws them and is more of a natural element people want to explore and see. 

Any recommendations?

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

Every system you try will have flaws, or you may salivate over a feature that appears in other software.Some familiar names are mentioned frequently: Stessa, Apartments.com, RentRedi, TenantCloud, Innago, RentManager, Avail, Rentec Direct, Doorloop, etc.I recommend conducting thorough research on each app online to understand their offerings, pricing, etc.

If someone has a REI attorney in Michigan that has worked with this scenario we would also love a recommendation.

I found Lodgify during almost a year of use very intuitive and easy for my team to work and track. and they have great and fast customer support, and most importantly is that they support our local currency BHD. which other PMS/channel manager would you recommend for a vacation rental line of business?  

what bank do you recommend for financing?

If you really want the property then I recommend doing everything possible to contact the owner or relatives. 

.$2 mm house or not you will have headaches with carts regardless and in our experience it's just not worth the hassle.my recommendation is work a deal with a local place you can refer them to and get a small referral fee from.

Some common names you'll see thrown around a lot: Stessa, Apartments.com, RentRedi, TenantCloud, Innago, RentManager, Avail, Rentec Direct, Doorloop, etc.I recommend you search for each of those apps online and see what they offer, how much they charge, etc.