Is there any harm in sending it to 5 or 6 different firms?

I know you said mindset is a lot of what you’re working on with books, podcasts, etc. if you haven’t already i strongly suggest reading The Power of Habit, High Performance Habits, and The 4 Disciplines of Execution.

No Harm No Foul.

This is happening all over the area where housing costs tend to be cheaper, and that certainly includes Marysville.Those who can afford a rental home sometimes support their habit through drug dealing. 

I am now hearing from the Property management company that it may be an entire additional year before my unit can be rebuilt to become habitable. 

The home will still be habitable.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

However, there is no harm in engaging a mortgage broker to discuss your financial situation, determine what you are eligible to buy and to continue to kick the tires by getting to know your market.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

That's pretty cold to be without heat and many judges would indeed find that a habitability issue.Who pays for the utilities?