I do have the benefit of experience in real estate, own 30 rentals, and manage 200 storage units so I know the business fairly well and am confident in my ability to figure things out on my own.

sorry to say it but there is nothing dishonest to engage in a conversation with an Agent that has a house on market since 200 days and offer to buy at a lower offer price - seller they believe owns the Taj Mahal and expecially after pandemic they raise asking price way too high - once again, guys we are entertaining a conversation with a seller and if the house is on market since 200 days, guess what, I believe the agent and the seller maybe a bit motivated, or what? 

Engage with local officers to gather insights about the neighborhood, and don't hesitate to ask them specific questions about the property.When touring, pay attention to tonality, body language, and hidden cues from sellers.

If you don't have a well aligned lock they tend to try to relock and when the deadbolt doesn't engage that drains the battery.

If you have certain skill set but lack the other, are you confident enough in yourself in terms of motivation, learning capability to learn the new skills you need to become successful in the field you want to be? 

IF you are confident in your numbers, you can shop around for another lender. 

I had to learn this lesson myself: The engagement you receive on BiggerPockets will generally be in exact proportion to your contribution to this community!

Hi Tracey,Thanks for the engagement, and for the link.

@Drew SygitMy dad was...a weird guy, propped up by this enormous misplaced pride and self-confidence in his intellect coupled with this cheap self-pity and hypochondria.

All that said...if you're not confident you can get at least 1.5x your LT rents as an MTR, I think I might go with long term but skip the management company and DIY.