Also issue occurred over winter with feet of snow outside and frozen ground.

During winter time if you cut off the heat and your water pipes burst?

How does the property perform in the winter months? 

My wife and I are both tired of the cold long NY winters and want to stop living in a “shoe box”Are you already investing in the Dallas market?

And I hear ya on the credit score and getting that out of the hole after taking on the short term debt, what a pain but always good in the long run.Hope you've been well - I've taken a break from BP/real estate, bought some fun toys this Winter and am looking forward to Spring (up in the Pittsburgh area now). 

You want the foundation to go below the frost line because of the harsh winters (although this winter didn't seem to be so).I'd also focus on eco friendly, and cost effective appliances, mini splits, windows, etc.to help reduce the overall cost of operating.There is a shortage of housing upstate so any development is going to be a solid investment as long as you run the numbers and stick to the budget.Good luck!

Are there any downfalls to doing an appraisal in the winter? 

Then there are the winter towns Windham and Hunter which draw winter sports in the the colder months and Kaaterskill falls hikers in the summer.

To entice winter season stayers to go the extra couple miles away from the mountain, you might put in a little extra effort on making the place stand out in photos with the decor and furniture quality.

Winter seems to be a great time to pick up deals.