I received a call from a prospective tenant and answered their questions about a property for rent.

In NJ, that requires having a publically available space for prospective clients to walk in. 

The prospect of doing so is intimidating, but blogs and articles re:  vacation rentals overwhelming support the profitability of Florida.  

Trying to take my prospecting to the next level.

As the prospective buyer and the one paying for that inspection, you have every right to attend and ask as many questions as you’d like.

I agree with @Drewy Osazuwa My company does a visit to a prospective tenants current residence before accepting them.

Your requirements are fine, my only comment would be to just call the previous landlord vs asking for a letter, doing extra paperwork may be annoying for prospect tenants.

I'd hook up with an agent that has access to off market deals and also leverage your own personal networks as much as possible and/or consider doing your own prospecting campaign to source deals premarket/off market if possible.

I spend an equal amount of time prospecting for private lenders as much as prospecting for deals.

Now, imagine the prospect of that host scaling to multiple properties.As the CEO of a real estate investment firm that has its own portfolio of vacation rentals, I've learned the most laborious part of the process is its initial set up.