@Phil EarleyI agree Phil 100%, that's where I see the management company just wanting to take on more properties that their staff can handle, I know there are rules of thumb out there that talk about a certain amount of units per manager; but that should be analyzed by the company and make sure that person cannot move outside of their property span of control. 

Also, I seriously doubt a 3 day span of resistance heat would double their bill.

Scott, that sounds like a lot of moving parts all over the country, having such a diverse and far reaching hyper local network spanning the entire country sounds really great and complex.

What is more important to you: appreciation over this span or cashflow? 

I derived this number with a cap expense sheet that I bound on BP and replacing the numbers with my expected costs (higher than elsewhere) and my experienced life span (My experienced life range varied significantly from other projections: for example sliding aluminum windows I experienced a shorter life than the work sheet, similar for HVACs. 

All the floor joists are 2x4 with 16" on center construction and spans of 10' to 12'.

I find the majority of my clients, which span from 22 to 60 through referrals.

Our future goal is to build multi-family properties that are small communities (rather than just housing) - with a focus on building happy, healthy, supportive communities that span all ages (we have lots of ideas for these, but I'm sure those will change and adjust as we learn more and get more experience :) ).We've teamed up with a local realtor, who seems great - we're very happy working with him so far - and we've been also looking on realtor.com and Zillow.I've run 52 properties through the Bigger Pockets rental calculator so far, and have narrowed down to view, so far:3 Duplexes 4 Single-Family (two 3-beds and two 4-beds)Thoughts, Advice, Input, and Opinions:I would REALLY appreciate any input or advice on the above, and on the following (we haven't looked at the properties yet - we start viewing tomorrow - so these figures are approximate, and subject, of course, to any extra things we discover when we view them :) )...2-PLEX - 2-Bed per unitWe can't live in this one because it already has tenants under lease, therefore the mortgage would be about 4% (I'm guessing?)

May be about to be its life span.

You can depreciate assets for shorter lives (eg. 5year) but my understanding is if you sell before you will probably “pay that difference back.”You can depreciate the property acquisition in a straight line and depreciate the improvements in various life spans itemized.