RE is a lot more active and involved, even if you hire a PM and a GC which BTW eats up your returns.

Maybe hire a licensed appraiser? 

Positive SolutionsProblem: In my county small multi-family houses are nearly non-existent and short-term rentals and second-cooking-areas are illegal.Solution: House-hack while renting MTR to traveling medical professionalsProblem: I didn’t know the many laws of the countySolution: A hired attorney 1) informed me that the county calls a house-hack a boardinghouse and 2) drafted a very comprehensive agreement that includes answers to your list of questions.Problem: Interpersonal problems can be a risk.

Your current title company did what you hired them to do.

The only challenge is that I’d probably need to hire someone to manage it while I’m not there if I do an STR, right ?  

I had a great experience with my TK provider, but I also started searching the MLS for properties in the same area and came to the realization that I could just buy some properties myself and hire a PM.

If the only constraint is you don't want to manage it from a distance, why not just hire a property manager? 

Hire a PM for the townhouse if you're doing a LTR and not a by the room situation.

But the only strategic thing about them is that you need to keep good records and hire a tax professional who knows how to maximize the tax savings from things you already paid for. 

The only inspectors I recommend are ones who have a background in the trades themselves because they actually know their stuff, but some buyers have read somewhere that they shouldn’t trust their agent’s inspector recommendation and they hire somebody else who doesn’t have any real hands-on experience building anything.