All are very nice.

YOU still have to give proper notice,, NO way can you do this the way your thinking,,Download your state landlord tenant laws so you can operate this business properly,Get a copy of their current lease,, IS there a clause that says,, it will automatically revert to a month to month term if not renewed for a longer period..IF so your fine,, you'll just give them notice of lease terms changes the next month,, they don't need to vacate if you want to keep them,, you can give them a heads up what the terms will be, you can suggest it would be nice to start off with a new lease, but understand they have a month to accept that new lease or give proper notice to vacate..It's not that it can't be done,, it has to be done the proper way..

I would contact the appraiser and aside from voicing your argument I would send him three better, more suitable comps that illustrate three properties in areas as nice as yours that have a garage, etc and layout similar to what you have.

By the sounds of it, you intend on spending a reasonable amount of time in the state, and so your personal enjoyment of the place is as equal a priority as the investment side.If you think you will be travelling back to Chicago a lot during your time out here, then a front range/summit county location like Jon has suggested might be in your best interest, so you arn't too far from DIA.If, however, your goal is to get far away from the highway, then come and visit us in Telluride! 

However I had inspections done because of "nice" tenants that reported to L&I

@Philip Mullinax nice!

I bought new towels at Costco, extra sheets and a nice air bed. 

It just costs money to periodically visit properties. 

Some of them have to be just "a nice house", not a work of art.

Build a nice landing page to send traffic to the landing page and track carefully.