So, here are the basics based on my market, which is AZ.  

Total bs and obvious on its face. 

On one hand I don’t want to fall victim to overpriced contracts squeezing a naive owner.

-Signing lease agreements via portalI am working on  automating and hiring a VA to handle all advertising, applications, and lease agreements.Allowing my onsite managers to focus more on the day to dayI looked into Rentalutions but I'm cheap!!  

Would you mind telling us what you spend per month on life? 

If in your shoes I think I'd call sellers bluff and put em against the wall of it via how I construct the purchase offer.

So from there, I have been identifying cities that offer properties in my price range and researching the neighborhoods that offer such properties. 

You’re probably thinking you have to offer asking price – not true!

It's like drinking through a fire hose on steroids.

The proceeds could be reinvested into something with better returns or even used to simplify your finances(Like Bettment still offer 4.75% for new customers, and you don't need to do anything!).