It seems to me like really what I want a property manager for is to show the property for me, to deal with late night calls and coordinate repairs.

That being said there are also bad deals in any area, here included.I would run your numbers based on historical data from airbnb - pretty easy to check on airdna or even just going in the airbnb app and seeing not only what nightly rates look like for certain properties but what their occupancy is - from there you can estimate monthly revenue with a reasonable degree of accuracy and see if that lines up with your targeted returns.

I was sleeping pretty well that night, because I was sick with a fever. 

I'm in Orlando and the homes here keep reimagining what can be done with garage spaces, I'd take a look at them for inspiration.If you are happy with your occupancy and rates, just make small adjustments that your competition doesn't offer and maybe you can get a little more per night.

They kept getting rejected b/c sellers were hearing every night on the news about the blistering hot real estate market that had turned around and they suddenly wanted top dollar for their property, above what comps would justify, even above asking price.

I just watched his web class presentation last night, I was looking to get information from someone who has gone through the course. 

A STR can generate 3x or more than a LTR.Airdna can give you a rough estimate but you need to check similar houses on Vrbo and Airbnb to get the best idea of nightly rates and occupancy. 

They agreed, but the temperature settings reverted during the night due to the thermostat’s learning mode.

Really trying to find something where I'd feel comfortable with the fiance walking the dog at night or just being by herself. 

So by Sunday night I had watched and read enough to start diving in and I created a small " buyers list " in about an hour.