Now, you still have to comply with all of the standard 1031 rules -- including (A) buying properties that are at least as valuable as what you sell, and (B) moving all of your equity from the STRs into the LTRs -- then you may still pay some taxes even with a 1031. 

There are multiple reports of them approving claims but taking several weeks to pay.

The appraiser will mark the report "Subject to" and you will have to fix it and have the appraiser come back out to finish report which is called a "Trip charge" or cost more money.Unless of course you decide to go FHA 203K but those can be a nightmare of wasted time and stressful.

However, the self employment could (or could not) pose an issue depending on how much you pay yourself yearly and what you report on your tax returns.  

These typically are not reported to credit bureaus and also do not affect your debt to income ratio which frees up your credit for personal loans that you may need in the future as well as does not limit you to the amount of loans that you can have as a buy and hold investor. 

It is apparently quite easy for unethical syndicators to "manipulate" reported results (for a given period of time) to make it appear as if they have had nothing but success (Bernie Maddoff).  

When you lose that lawsuit, the court will issue a judgment against each and every partner for the full amount of the damages (which can also include court costs and post-judgment interest and depending on the terms of your loan agreement, maybe even the lender's attorney's fees for the suit). 

If you're operating an STR out of an ADU (includes basement ADUs) you can only STR up to 120 days/year.

I have a large team in the Philippines which includes appointment setters. 

Surprisingly, Easy Street Capital has a fair number of science majors (myself included).