Refinancing a home in Florida will typically cost 2x-4x more in fees than a property in Indiana.  

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

First step is a free call to the zoning board to find out what you can do with the land.

Because of that the total project costs as well. 

@Faris Wright to me there are two investment types when you go out of you are either Investing For appreciation or cash flow if you are invest on either Coast most of your investments will be appreciation based since the cost is much higher than the rents.

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

They know the tenant base, median rents of different areas, how much to increase rent each year, ranges of repair costs (ex: tenant calls and says AC isn't working, no hot water, faucet is leaking, the HVAC system goes out).

Feel free to send a DM. 

However, beyond giving this group an opportunity to do the right thing (I responded with appreciation for the transparency, the only 2 questions we're allowed to legally ask, and a gentle reminder that we are a dog-friendly property and it's a minimal cost of $20 per night), is there a better way to handle this?

It costs less and you don’t have to fund.