A 1031 exchange would likely only cost you a fee, plus impose rules on how to use your sale proceeds and when, without providing a tax benefit. 

I have a wealth of knowledge I can share with you and provide you with some good insights into markets to avoid and those to pursue. 

You really need a team that provides rentals, All the best 

Also, what exactly was the quote provided by the contractor?

Any guidance provided would be greatly valued.Having said all this, we aim to do more than just scrape by month to month for the next year or two.

And I also realized that I wouldn't make a claim unless I had a major loss anyways, as it'd likely make my premium skyrocket (and would perhaps make the provider not want to renew at the end of the year).

It really comes down to what specific documents you need from the tenant that you'll feel secured and comfortable of renting it to him/her.The typical criteria would be credit, background check, renters insurance, first + last month of rent + security deposit.

(i) Tenant is responsible for all damage caused by smoking including, but not limited to stains, burns, odors and removal ofdebris; (ii) Tenant acknowledges that in order to remove odor caused by smoking, Housing Provider may need to replacecarpet and drapes and paint the entire premises regardless of when these items were last cleaned, replaced or repainted.Such actions and other necessary steps will impact the return of any security deposit.B.

. - Contractors- Capital providers: JV partners, private money lenders (PMLs), hard money lenders (HMLs)sFor additional context, are you going to be flipping and actually selling or are you going to be fixing and holding for rental income? 

I will look further into your link provided.