Also someone forced entry in the back door and broke the trim getting in the house last night.

Instead of the declarations page, the new agent can provide a Certificate of Insurance detailing when the new policy was put into force.

Or does the weather not have as big an impact on their work as I'm picturing in my head? 

This is not meant to scare you, but provide some reality on how scary this situation can be without proper insurance coverage and adequate limits.If you are forced to go this route, get a copy of their "full" policy to ensure that there are no daycare specific exclusions. 

I have a bunch of equity built up in a couple of small multi-family properties and I would like to take cash out to do two things: (1) force appreciation by making improvements to currently owned properties, and (2) purchase additional rentals.

Valid question, however that money, under GAAP, as near as I can tell, hits their Profit and Loss, and not their balance sheet, so it doesn't impact their carrying costs. 

It may be near to impossible to gain appreciation in Indiana (since it’s known for cash flow) but I can maybe force appreciation on some of the more high end properties because I will be using the BRRRR strategy.

Things like Pollution Exclusion could impact the claim during rehab.  

From the lighting sources to the wattage used, from the cleanliness of the windows to the grain of the marble countertop, each home you sell sends a specific message that will directly impact the emotions of potential buyers.And guess what?

I have found most of these takes elitist and dismissive, but I recently read an article, The Rise of The California Back House House Hacker claiming that our community at BiggerPockets and the subsequent reddit forums are having a similar impact on the real estate market.