You will not watch the money and payouts and bookings and end up losing more hiring a big firm to do what should only be done by local hosts.

If you do rent by the room watch out for local unrelated person ordinances.

Simplified example: if all assessments would exactly double, individual property taxes would stay exactly the same.Milwaukee is currently the 2nd most competitive market for renters in the US, you can watch a video on current Milwaukee rent increases here. 

You said you live in Austin, no better way to learn than directly so, there is a syndication group Viking Capital LLC, that is buying/raising for a 252 unit property in NewBraunfels, about 45 min south of Austin, watch their webinar at their website below and they have an 82 pg slide show as well, then take a 3 hour trip to go see it, walk the property, go into office ask about the units available/leasing how the market is from the office staff, look around for quality of property/deferred maintenace needed then drive the area for other competitor properties.

I was envisioning some dude with expensive bespoke suits, gold watches and driving around in a Rolls Royce but he was super chill and down to earth. 

I'll try to watch for a reply.

Just watching how he took no blame for burning 100s of investors out of millions of dollars then running.. .I cant see how he could earn anyones business. 

I watch the 10-Year Treasury constantly as that will track in lock-step with mortgage rates, but you can always download "Mortgage News Daily" from your Ap Store.

I go to the Courthouse a couple of times a quarter to watch the sales and have occasionally wandered over to the tax sale.

I have purchased his book bundle from Bigger pockets, watched all of his podcasts on here, and I am so amazed!