After all I paid him my hard earned money...nope, he just drops you & doesn't let you continue. 

So talk to your bank and insurer before continuing. 

Reese's "free" course is really "first lesson free", then you are directed to a paywall to continue.  

5K rent seems cheap for the area so I would continue with that.

Hence, the search continues.

First, deep relationships with people so that you know them well, they know you well, and relationship continues for many years.  

A good landlord wants to do reasonable business to have continued tenants.

If you intend to continue 'helping' dogs, you need to move out of the city and to a rural area with acreage.

So most agents are only putting about half of that $12k in their pocket, and out of that $6k they have to cover all of their operating expenses: licensing fees, MLS/ Realtor Association fees, continuing education classes to stay compliant with licensing requirements, monthly "desk" fees/ technology fees to their brokerage, health insurance for themselves and their family, errors and omissions insurance (required), marketing, car, car insurance, gas, clothes, computer/ software, cell phone, closing gifts, signs, photography, staging if they offer that, etc.

They are still at a discount to the 10 year treasury bond (i.e. market trends indicate they will continue to escalate).