I have a short list of items needed to move forward such as contract signed, W9, launch ready checklist and I need to be added to the homeowners insurance policy as "other insured". 

Do I need to find a specialist or company that solely works with 1031 exchanges?

I am on the list for a few areas with a larger wholesaling company (New Western). 

Learned some hard lessons about mortgage details, contractors, importance of moving with speed, and dealing with property management companies.

I honestly find landlording very boring and after many years its not fun.I also have thought of reparing it and then handing it off to a PM company and holding it for longer but dont know if it will be worth it.

Big companies close by room for growth in the area.

The previous owner was asked to claim damage on the roof, and had it replaced on their insurance policy before we took ownership.We revived a dilapidated shed into a hobby she-shed.

Keep in mind that are not appraising "replacement value" like an insurance company would use.

Look at employers in the area - you want some diversity of employment so that if 1 company closes you don't lose a bunch of the population2.

That could be a classic example of mixing monies, thereby rendering the LLC pointless, or it could be setup as a property management company with paperwork showing that it is renting out the property on behalf of the owner.