Some of the activities that count towards your hourly requirements include collecting rent, bookkeeping, advertising, maintaining legal compliance, safety reviews, inspections, decorating, tenant approval, contractor supervision, procuring insurance, paying taxes, and actual hands-on maintenance.There are some activities that do not count.Travel: While you can deduct mileage and expenses for your travels to and from your rentals, the time spent traveling is considering commuting and therefore does not count towards your hourly thresholds.

Your statement seems to directly contradict goamplify.com if I understood it correctly:https://www.goamplify.com/blog/homerenovations/texas-home-equity-loan-guidelines.aspxHome Equity Loan Application & Loan GuidelinesSome Texas laws regarding home equity loan procurement include: Restrictions on mortgage debt: Borrowers can't owe more than 80 percent of the market value of their home on their mortgage and home equity loans combined.

After the fact, my client informed me that the savings I procured were approximately equal the net profit realized from a part time (25 hour) employee over the same 4 year period. 

I love deals like these, and in my opinion, this is the best way to procure properties in order to make money off the rent that they produce.

I completed a 2.5 month and $1,000 application to officially procure the easement, only to have my lender back out saying that it would be too risky for them to lend to me, given that if I were to default on the loan, they would be stuck with a property and potential issues with the railroad.

As a PM, I would charge you a fee for that additional work or tell you to go procure your own bids.

Quote from @Jason Li: The PM gave you an estimate, but they aren't experts and there wasn't time to procure complete bids.

Hello, I'm actively pursuing leads for properties procured by means of seller finance or sub to.

I am just starting off and want to work on Brrring properties but really need partners for capital as well as experience

If, however, you were the procuring cause (you showed them the house they bought) it would be worth a call to the new agent's Broker for at least a share of the commission but tough to do once it's already closed.