That means I generally know, there are some exceptions, that I will receive a years income and can plan for improvements/repairs with other units supporting the costs of down time in the unit being repaired.

He doesn't go back to the store for free, so the unit had 3 additional days of downtime and the price was higher.You are going to have a very had time working with a PM and will cost you more money in the long run trying to save $100.

If you feel you and your wife can not handle some down time then maybe real estate is not for you, you will have those times.

I would not give up hope but I would financially & emotionally plan on it being empty for an extra month.On the west coast you are not fighting against weather, just against busy-ness and distraction of the holidays.But I would argue that many people want to look when they have more down time the week between Christmas and New Years, if your PM is working. 

Also worked like dogs and did not have enough downtime.

I'm a project and sales manager for a roofing company and do fairly well for myself but have a few months down time from mid December to mid March where I would like to fill my time with flipping a house or maybe two to start with.

I need to look more into SDIRA this weekend when I have some down time.

Have a piece of paper handy to take down notes and mark down times of stuff you want to remember to look back over.  

this may sound harsh but if you don't know the answer you shouldn't have rented it out in the first place.Know your state landlord tenant laws.Rental business has highs and lows and income will vary if tenants don't pay rent and units are vacant due to evictions, or maintenance down time, or if unit is down between tenants.. if you can't afford at least a 5% loss in income on a property you shouldn't consider it as a business you can afford to be in.

Hope over to MrMoneyMoustache.com (yes, I know, but trust me) and start reading through his posts in your downtime.