There are some discount brokerages where you pay flat fee for a listing on the MLS. 

I assume you're paying the owner a flat monthly rent, but how do you handle the renovations?

I am a fan of charging a flat fee. 50% upfront and 50% when the project is complete/operational.

Please someone tell me the logic on how costs on the buy side will drop with less agents.I can see good buyers agents commanding over 3% because they are worth it and will be operating against a bunch of poorly trained flat fee discount brokerages. 

I own a 2 flat (3 units)with basement unit on the west side of Chicago. 

Very roughly, if the homes would sell for $1MM each and assuming the land is flat and without significant site development costs, I would say the lots might be worth 200-300k each with the final map recorded.

Pricing - most bookkeepers I know are transitioning to flat rate pricing that includes software costs, based on the complication/volume of your business(es).

My only concern is single-family rents could be flat for a few years due to the big run-up we've had in the past few years.In general, I like your proposed strategy.

I purchased a foreclosure that sat on a suburban lot that was flat, needed repairs, cleaning and most of all the lot was large enough for as many as three homes. 

NYC flat roofs, the locale, and the lack of trees(sadly) make NYC a great option for solar.