Any words of encouragement or advice?

Buildium does offer the ability to interface with Quickbooks through API and offers custom buildouts.

You are encouraging the hottest pitches and you might fall for it.

Sure, but I agree that until you really know your problems with scale you can't justify the cost of a custom or premium software solution.

Finding parking at the beach could be as difficult as finding it for a regular vehicle.The city has encouraged development.  

I can say in our case, it ticked me off tossing money away after getting information that was a one-size-fits-all that did not work as intended in my market, scripted coaching that again did not work for what we were looking to do and finally after getting a kiss off from the customer service group when I voiced my experience, I knew that we had wasted a good deal of money. 

We are in a business/ venture that requires more customers, not less to charge more.

@Thomas SehonRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

I wonder why the government isn't encouraging more people to become developers compared to the money they are putting into VCsWhat would be a good step by step approach to becoming a developer?

It’s always encouraging to connect with fellow investors who are on a similar journey.If you're considering the Midwest, I highly recommend exploring markets like Indianapolis.