My second thought is to have the sheriff serve them anyways for late and unpaid rent, to let them know I mean business.

I find it alarming that a trustee either doesn't know the bylaws or is purposely breaking them to serve their own interests. 

Everyone has a different goals and investment criteria, so this is not a one size fit allkind of situation.I will suggest that you clearly define what you what and do some research then go from there.A local Investor-Agent can help shorten your learning curve and save you a lot of headaches asthey tend to understand the market better.Use Niche.com, Greatschools.org and Msc.Fema.gov for your research.Goodluck and go make it happen

It is harder to liquidate a rural property simply because the population size reduces the possible prospects to sale the home to.

My partner and I have been recently focused on mid-size SFH for STR, but location and strategy questions.

Steps 1-3 are generally correct with some exceptions:Your comps should be of similar size to your property. 

You would better serve yourself and find an investor friendly Realtor in the area your looking.

I never served in the military,  but I think I'd want to choose a duty station based on advancement opportunities and then build a real estate portfolio on the side.

It also seems like there is a minimum size for pms to have enough staff to handle everything properly.

My units are larger 3 and 4 bdrm townhomes, 1600-1800 sf each, intended to serve families.With a mid-range construction budget, what items are worth splurging on to get improved rents?