I later had no choice but to kick them out during Christmas time while deployed in another part of the country paying double mortgages.  

Once Halloween or Christmas is over, I have to remove all decorations or they will penalize 3.

.- Find and make use of software (as you alluded to) to help me with certain tasks- Take a break when I need one and just accept that I can't work 24/7- Realized that I can outsource many household chores too and compared to my perceived value of my own time it was surprisingly affordable: mowing the grass, gardening, cleaning, maintaining our pool, etc.I've managed to get into a routine where I can put in an hour or so on the investing per day during the work week and a few additional hours each weekend as needed.

What we do is drive in various neighborhoods on weekends to get an idea of the area.

It is almost done with rehab and will be listed for rent this coming weekend.

You could rent out a room/the home for the weekend, but Nashville is strict about making sure the property owners follow the rules about it.Best of luck to you in your STR!

I plan to visit more parks this weekend.

Be super nice don't tell them you are shopping the lender and apply with a mortgage banker not a bank who has been in the business more than 10 years, is smart, is caring and answers the phone weekends and nights.

But the appraisal isn't until this weekend and the deal is still pending. 

Everything from someone wanting out, to theft, to getting hit by a meteor while Christmas shopping.