We have tiered returns based on investment amount and time in the deal.

Very nice suburb area outside of Dallas and I'm very much ready to get in the real estate game!

To rent the home, I would lose about $2,500 per month (based on comparable rents in my area, property management fees, etc).Both options loose the same amount by roughly 2 years, and by this time, I still will not have built up much more equity in the home to make selling it a break even unless there is price appreciation by then.My dilemma is this: I speculate that my home will not appreciate much in the next 3-5 years due to the rapid pace of development in the surrounding area.In 5-10+ years, maybe, but by then I'll have bled $150,000 - $300,000.I have thought about this a lot and feel that I mar'-too close to the problem to see the best solution.

Starting out, single-family was my go-to—easier to manage and a great intro to the game.

This method provides an indication of value based on the property's rents.

Yup, property condition, vintage, neighborhood, tenant base, property management are all very important considerations. 

Based on your response Katee you clearly have not read through my comments in any detail or tried to understand my perspective or concerns.

The structure is mainly appreciation-based, which minimizes tenant and maintenance risk. 

I think the most I could possibly get monthly out of the property is 1000 based off of rentometer, zillow, and BP.

Maybe it's conjecture on my part, but I think a good agent (good being the operative word) would have encouraged you to start by offering lower and saved you more than 2.5%.