For example, collecting three months of rent upfront helped you avoid missed rent, but even that could have backfired if they missed more than three payments.

Maybe I can help connect some dots. 

This may help you figure out an optimal down payment percentage that may be somewhere between the 3.5% and the 40% that could give you a higher CoC return.

BP has various tools to help you analyze your deals (rentals, flips, wholesale, etc). : https://www.biggerpockets.com/investment-calculators7.

You want an accountant who can help you strategize and who is responsive when you want to know the consequences of the financial decisions you are making throughout the year.Good luck.

Hope this helps! 

I own rental properties in one city and two of them had insurance claims in the last 2 years due to hail and tree damage. I just purchased a rental in another state/city and am getting turned down for insurance due to...

I can't help with that.Regarding insurance, you will need a STR policy.

I agree with @Nicholas L., go to real estate meetups and meet humans who invest instead of trying to find a quicker way to flip through properties that you can't see the basement in anyway unless you go see them.

Here’s where it gets wild: right before the holidays, we not only closed on the house but also helped her move into an extended stay hotel.